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F^EMOTE  STORAGE 


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i 


THE 


MYSTERIOUS  JUROR 

/ 

— BY— 

FORTUNE  DU  BOISGOBEY. 


TRANSLATED  FROM  THE  THIRD  EDITION. 


Chicago 

HOMEWOOD  PUBLISf^I]NTG  COMPANY 


COPYRIGHT.  1892. 

By  MORRILL,  HIGGINS  &  CO, 


COPYRIGHT,  1893, 

By  W.  B.  CONKEY  COMPANY. 


pEMOtESTORAS^ 

CHAPTER  I. 

It  is  growing  late  and  the  long  court-room  is 
partially  obscured  by  shadows;  the  waning 
light  still  illumines  the  platform  where  the 
court  is  sitting  ;  but  the  seats  of  the  jurors,  the 
bench  of  the  accused,  and  the  crowd  of  spec- 
tators are  already  plunged  in  the  semi-obscu- 
rity of  the  twilight  of  a  gloomy  autumn  day. 

**The  case  is  closed,"  the  grave  voice  of  the 
president  has  said.  The  magistrates  and  the 
jurors  have  retired.  Nothing  now  remains  but 
to  hear  the  verdict,  yet  the  audience  has  not 
stirred. 

It  is  made  up  of  those  amateurs  of  strong 
emotions  who  would  pass  the  whole  night  upon 
their  feet  rather  than  fail  to  be  present  at  the 
denouement  of  the  drama.  They  must  witness 
the  anguish  of  the  accursed  at  the  moment  when 


963 1 55 


6  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

he  is  brought  back  into  the  court  room,  and 
when  his  eyes  question  the  face  of  his  counsel' 
to  learn  his  fate  before  his  sentence  is  pro- 
nounced. 

There  has  not  been  a  more  exciting  case  tried 
in  Paris  for  many  years. 

First,  the  accused  k  a  woman,  and  a  woman 
of  rank.  The  crime  imputed  to  her  is  an  odious 
one,  but  it  has  not  been  clearly  proved  ;  she 
denies  it,  and  has  defended  herself  with  a  skill 
which  has  elicited  the  admiration  of  veterans 
at  the  bar.  ^ 

The  room  is  crowded  with  political,  literkry 
and  fashionable  celebrities.  Among  the  priv- 
ileged ones  who  occupy  reserved  seats  are  two 
gentlemen  who  are  exchanging,  in  a  low  voice, 
their  opinions  on  the  discussion  which  has  just 
ended  and  to  which  they  have  listened  with  the 
most  exemplary  attention. 

*'My  friend, said  the  younger,  **  I  VBOuld  bet 
that  this  remarkable- Baroness  will  be  acquitted 
off-hand." 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  7 

Not  I/'  murmured  the  other,  who  appeared 
older  and  more  serious. 

"You  take  the  bet  then?  I  give  Mme.  de 
Noyal  one  hundred  louis  against  fifty/' 

''  Do  not  speak  so  loud.  It  is  not  decent  to 
bet  on  a  woman's  life." 

"Bahl  No  one  can  hear  us.  Do  you  take 
the  bet  or  not?'' 

"  Well,  let  it  be  so.    I  will  take  it." 

"  Good  !  you  can  get  ready  to  write  a  check 
for  a  thousand  francs  this  evening."  . 

*'We  sh^U  see!  and  while  waiting  I  should 
like  to  know  upon  what  grounds  you  base  your 
certainty  of  an  acquittal." 

"Upon  very  simple  reasoning.  When  one 
'person  kills  another,  he  has  a  motive  for  the 
murder.  Now  I  defy  you  and  I  defy  all  the 
attorney-generals  in  France  to  say  why  the 
Baroness  Angelique  de  Noyal  should  have  sent 
a  bullet  into  the  heart  of  her  cousin,  Mile. 
Jeanne  Caristie.    It  was  not  for  her  money, 


8  THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

surely,  for  the  young  girl  had  none,  while  the 
Baroness  has  had  an  income  of  eighty  thousand 
francs  since  she  has  been  the  widow  of  that 
great  booby,  de  Noyal/' 

"Do  you  believe  then  that  one  commits  mur- 
der for  money  only?"  ^ 

**No;  sometimes  from  hate  and  sometimes 
for  revenge.  But  what  reason  could  Mme.  de 
Noyal  have  to  hate  an  orphan  girl  whom  she 
had  taken  into  her  house  and  overwhelmed 
with  kindness  ?  Will  you  tell  me  that  Mme.  de 
Noyal,  who  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and 
elegant  women  in  Paris,  was  jealous  of  a  little 
girl  from  the  provinces  whom  no  one  has  ever 
courted — unless  it  be  you?" 

**I  have  nothing  to  do  with  the  case,  and  I 
beg  you  not  to  bring  me  into  it." 

**Ah!  Ah!  what  a  tone  you  take!  Excuse 
me,  Monsieur  Robert  du  Plessis.    If  I  had 

thought  that  " 

My  poor  Raoul,  you  must  try  to  cure  your 
mania  for  joking  on  all  subjects.    The  tragic 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  9 

death  of  this  young  woman  has  deeply  affected 
me.  You  know  this,  and  yet  you  talk  as  if 
you  had  forgotten  it/' 

"I  was  wrong,  I  acknowledge  it.  Let  us  go 
back  to  this  dear  Baroness  who  has  been  pur- 
sued with  incomprehensible  animosity.  These 
lawyers  of  the  new  school  attack  her  because 
she  is  noble,  rich  and  in  good  society,  but  they 
will  have  their  trouble  for  their  pains.  The 
charge  falls  to  the  ground." 

**I  am  not  of  your  opinion.  Shall  I  run 
over  the  facts  ?  Mme.  de  Noyal  was  passing 
the  summer  at  her  country  house  with  Mile. 
Caristie.  One  evening  at  the  beginning  of 
September  she  went  for  a  walk  in  the  park, 
taking  her  cousin  with  her,  a  thing  she  had 
never  before  done.  An  hour  after  she  returned, 
wild  with  excitement,  and  told  her  servants 
that  some  one  had  shot  at  her  and  wounded 
Jeanne,  and  that  instead  of  remaining  to  aid 
her  cousin,  she  had  made  her  escape.'' 

"  We  do  not  expect  a  woman  to  be  very 


10  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

brave,  and  to  have  remained,  at  the  risk  of  be- 
ing killed,  would  have  been  heroism/' 

^'Agreed,  but  it  is  not  so  easy  to  tell  how 
Mile.  Caristie  was  killed  by  a  bullet  fired  by 
somq  person  so  near  that  the  powder  burned 
her  corsage." 

You  have  heard  the  answers  which  the  pris- 
oner gave  to  the  questions  of  the  president. 
She  said  that  the  shot  was  fired  from  a  hedge 
which  borders  the  path  where  they  were  walk- 
ing, side  by  side,  and  that  her  cousin,  who  was 
on  her  left,  almost  touched  the  hedge.  Besides 
it  has  been  proved  that  the  Baroness  was  ex- 
tremely afraid  of  pistols,  and  that  she  had 
never  owfied  or  even  handled  one  in  her  whole 
life.  And  the  revolver  was  not  found.  Her 
counsel  argued  from  this  fact  that  it  was  not 
she  who  fired  it,  and  I  believe  that  he  is  right, 
although  the  prosecution  affirms  the  contrary ; 
but  there  has  been  no  proof  that  she  is  not  the 
accomplice  of  the  assassin  who  has  disappeared 
without  leaving  any  trace.    How  could  he  have 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  II 

got  into' the  park  and  how  could  he  have  got 
out,  if  she  had  not  opened  the  gate  for  him  ?" 

My  dear  fellow,  you  were  born  for  an  attor- 
ney-general ;  you  plead  as  if  you  were  a  lawyer. 
It  is  very  fortunate  that  you  were  not  on  the 
prosecution  for  they  have  not  convinced  the 
jury.  He  who  wishes  to  prove  too  much,  proves 
nothing.  The  prosecuting  attorney  was  too 
violent  and  overshot  the  mark/* 

Perhaps  that  is  so;  but  there  is  no  half-way, 
either  this  woman  is  a  monster  or  she  is  a  saint." 

I  prefer  to  believe  that  she  is  a  saint,  and  I 
repeat  that  there  is  no  crime  without  a  cause. 
This  story  of  rivalry  between  the  cousins  is  a 
ridiculous  invention  of  the  prosecution  who  are 
very  much  put  to  it  for  an  argument.  Where 
is  this  Don  Juan  whom  both  these  women 
adored  ?  No  one  has  been  able  to  say  who  he 
is.  Perhaps  it  is  you,"  said  Raoul,  who  seemed 
to  have  constituted  himself  the  official  advo- 
cate  of  the  accused. 


12  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

''There it  is  again said  du  Plessis  angrily, 
have  already  asked  you  not  to  mix  me  up 
with  the  affair/' 

Oh  !  do  not  be  angry  ;  you  had  nothing  to 
do  with  it,  I  know  that— and  the  proof  of  it  is 
that  you  were  not  called  as  a  witness.  But 
really,  you  used  to  visit  at  Mme.  de  Noyals; 
you  have  often  seen  Mile.  Caristie  and  ought  to 
know  better  than  I,  who  hardly  knew  them  at 
all,  whether  there  was  any  one  addressing 
them.'* 

''Mme.  de  Noyal  did  not  lack  admirers.  A 
great  many  fine  gentlemen  would  gladly  have 
consoled  the  widow  who  is  worth  two  or  three 
millions,  but  these  same  fine  gentlemen  would 
not  have  married  an  orphan  without  dower, 
simply  for  her  beautiful  eyes^  Perhaps  I  might ' 
have  done  so  foolish  a  thing.  I  liked  Mile, 
Caristie  very  much,  and  I  think  I  might  have 
become  seriously  in  love  with  her;  but  I  had 
not  reached  that  point  when  this  terrible  event 
happened/' 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  1 3 

Acknowledge  then  that  there  is  no  sense 
in  the  supposition  of  the  attorney-general." 

Pardon  me  !  Mnre.  de  Noyal  was  not  jeal- 
ous of  me,  but  perhaps  she  was  of  some  one 
else." 

**You  would  have  perceived  it,  and  yo4a  have 
just  told  me  that  you  never  saw  anything  of 
the  kind." 

**No-— not  among  those  with  whom  I  gener- 
ally saw  her.  But  she  went  into  society  a  great 
deal  and  I  did  not  visit  at  all  the  houses  where 
she  went  with  her  young  cousin." 

.**True  !  But  other  people  would  have  known 
the  men  with  whom  she  was  pleased,  and  no 
one  has  said  that  she  showed  a  preference  for 
any  one.  Maybe  you  will  tell  me  that  she  kept 
it  a  secret." 

Ah  !  you  have  tired  me  out  at  last  !  I  will 
not  answer  j^ou  at  all.  One  thing  is  certain — 
Mile.  Caristie  was  murdered,^  and — —  " 

Unless  she  committed  suicide," 


14  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

"  Come  !  you  reason  with  your  mind  already 
made  up.  I  give  up  trying  to  convince  you, 
and  it  will  be  useless  to  discuss  the  matter  any 
longer,  for  I  hear  the  bell  which  announces  the 
renewal  of  the  session.  The  jurors  have 
agreed  and  their  verdict  will  settle  the  ques- 
tion." 

"And  win  my  bet,"  said  Raoul.  His  friend 
shrugged  his  shoulders  and  kept  still. 

"  The  Court !  Hats  off  !  "  shouted  the  crier. 
The  magistrates  had  taken  their  seats,  the  jurors 
were  in  their  places,  and  the  prosecuting  attor- 
ney had  resumed  his  place.  The  counsel  for 
the  defense  had  not  left  the  room.  All  were  ^ 
present  but  the  prisoner. 

By  the  light  of  the  lamps  which  had  just 
been  lighted,  the  robe  of  the  president,  flanked 
by  those  of  the  assistant  judges,  glowed  like  a 
red  spot  between  two  black  ones. 

The  audience  was  excited,  and  the  murmur 
of  the  anxious  spectators  was  heard,  as  at  the 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR,  1 5 

theater  when  the  curtain  rises  on  the  supreme 
scene  of  a  drama  which  has  been  impatiently 
expected. 

More  agitated  than  he  appeared  Robert  du 
Plessis  looked  at  the  jurors.  He  tried  to  read 
their  faces,  but  with  little  success.  Their  faces 
only  expressed  fatigue,  and  satisfaction  at  being 
relieved  from  a  long  and  arduous  service. 
There  was  one,  however,  who  was  distinguished 
from  the  others  by  his  dress  and  the  express- 
ion of  his  face. 

He  was  still  young,  forty  at  most,  and  his 
eyes  shone, with  a  peculiar  light;  they  were 
restless  and  uneasy  eyes  which  saw  everything 
and  fixed  themselves  nowhere.  Robert  fancied 
they  rested  on  him  with  a  certain  persistence, 
but  he  must  have  been  mistaken,  for  he  did  not 
remember  ever  to  have_seen  this  juryman  who 
was  dressed  like  a  club-man,  and  he  was  sur- 
prised that  he  had  not  noticed  him  during  the 
session  as  he  sat  at  the  end  of  the  highest 
bench — the  place  reserved  for  the  foreman, 


l6  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

who  is  chosen  by  lot.  But  Robert  had  only 
looked  at  the  accused  and  the  free  and  honest 
citizens  who  were  to  be  her  judges  left  the 
room  at  the  same  time  as  she. 

They  had  just  returned  and  this  man  was 
about  to  read  the  verdict 

At  the  request  of  the  president,  he  rose, 
placed  his  hand  on  his  heart,  and  in  the  midst 
of  an  affecting  silence,  pronounced  in  a  sonor- 
ous  voice  the  consecrated  formula:  "On  my 
honor  and  my  conscience,  before  God  and  be- 
fore men,  the  decision  of  the  jury  is:"  He 
paused  between  this  invariable  preamble  and 
the  words  which  followed,  just  as  an  actor  docs 
before  uttering  some  word  for  effect.  And  the 
words  were :      Not  guilty." 

An  "Ah!"  went  up  from  every  breast,  but 
there  were  neither  cheers  nor  murmurs.  It  ex- 
pressed the  relief  of  the  people  after  their 
long  waiting,— nothing  more.  And  to  teil  the 
truth,  opinions  differed  widely. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  I7 

The  procureur-general  did  not  try  to  repress 
a  gesture  of  dissatisfaction,  but  the  judges  re- 
tained their  impassability  of  countenance,  and 
the  counsel  for  the  defense,  smiling,  bowed  like 
a  man  who  was  expecting  this  result.  Nothing 
remained  but  to  inform  the  prisoner,  and  the 
president  gave  the  order  for  her  to  be  brought 
in.  She  entered  with  her  head  high,  her  face 
unmoved,  hei  look  steady,  andsheard  the  clerk 
read  the  verdict.  She  evidently  already  knew 
what  to  expect,  for  a  glance  of  her  counsel  had 
reassured  her.  Then,  the  president  said  grave- 
ly and  slowly : 

*'We,  president  of  the  Court  of  Assizes  ot 
the  Seine,  by  virtue  of  the  power  vested  in  us 
by  the  law;  seeing  the- decision  of  the  jury, 
declare  the  said  Angelique  Rabutin,  widow  de 
Noyal,  acquitted  of  the  charge  brought  against 
her  and  we  command  that  she  be  set  at  liberty 
immediately,  if  she  be  not  detained  for  other 
cause." 

Robert  du  Plessis  knew  tKe  president,  and  it 


l8  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

was  through  him  that  he  had  a  reserved  place 
at  the  trial.  It  seemed  to  him  that  the  severe 
magistrate  had  slipped  rapidly  over  the  words 
the  said  prescribed  by  the  code,,  which  does  not ' 
pride  itself  on  politeness,  and  he  was  obliged 
to  him  for  it,  although  he  was  not  absolutely 
convinced  of  the  innocence  of  the  Baroness. 

He  was  still  in  doubt,  but  he  wished  to  be- 
lieve it,  and  he  was  not  at  all  sorry  that  the 
jury  had  acquitted  a  woman  at  whose  house  he 
had  been  received  before  the  tragic  event  which 
had  brought  her  into  the  Court  of  Assizes. 
Appearances  were  against  her,  but  the  proofs 
were  lacking,  and  Robert  preferred  agreeing 
with  the  verdict  to  persisting  in  suspecting 
Mme.  de  Noyal  of  assassinating  a  young  girl 
whom  he  had  been  so  near  loving. 

Human  justice  punishes,  but  it  does  not  re- 
store, and  a  condemnation,  even  if  it  had  been 
just,  would  not  have  restored  Jeanne  Canstie, 
the  victim  of  an  unexplained  if  not  inexplic- 
able crime. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  ig 

Robert  du  Plessis  began  then  to  rejoice  at 
the  happy  issue  of  this  judicial  drama,  and 
even  to  pity  the  woman  who  had  been  marked 
by  an  ineffaceable  stain  and  whose  acquittal 
would  only  partially  reinstate  her,  for  the  world 
is  so  constituted  that  accusation  and  calumny 
always  leave  a  taint.    He  had  forgotten  what 
the  acquittal  was  going  to  cost  him.  His  friend 
Raoul  recalled  it  to  his  mind  by  saying  gaily: 
**You  owe  me  fifty  louis,  you  know." 
"I  know  it,"  replied  Robert,  "I  will  pay 
them  and  not  regret  it  either,  for  I  would  will- 
ingly have  given  fifty  louis  that  I  might  not 
have  to  deplore  that  I  had  been  friends  with  a 
criminal." 

Well,  you  take  your  part  with  a  good  grace 
and  I  compliment  you.  It  is  never  too  late  to 
find  out  that  one  is  mistaken.  And  now  I  hope 
you  will  again  go  to  see  the  poor  Baroness. 
You  owe  her  a  visit  after  the  crisis  which  she 
has  passed  through,  as  much  as  if  she  had 


20  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

recovered  from  an  illness  which  threatened  her 
life." 

"It  is  not  the  same  thing  at  all,  and  I  have 
not  the  least  desire  to  congratulate  her." 

**Bah!  you  will  go  all  the  same,  and  I  shall 
ask  you  to  introduce  me.  I  am  dying  to  know 
her." 

**As  for  me,  I  wish  I  had  never  known  her, 
and  as  for  presenting  you,  that  would  not  be 
easy,  for  I  do  not  suppose  she  will  open  her 
house  again.  It  is  not  as  if  she  had  passed  the 
season  at  Aix." 

Why  not?  That  would  be  very  fearless, 
and  would  be  the  best  way  of  showing  that  she 
had  nothing  to  be  ashamed  of/' 

"That  may  be;  but  no  one  would  visit  her." 

"On  the  contrary,  I  bet  that  she  would  be 
obliged  to  refuse  people." 

"Enough  of  such  bets,"  said  Robert,  angrily. 
"The  play  is  over;  let  us  go." 

It  was  time,  for  the  audience  had  risen,  the 
Court,  the  jurors  and  the  accused  had  already 


THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR,  21 

gone,  and  the  two  friends  had  only  to  follow 
the  crowd  which  noisily  evacuated  the  court- 
room. This  they  did,  and  with  difficulty 
succeeded  in  getting  out  of  the  Palais  de  Jus- 
tice, the  doors  were  so  blocked. 

Raoul  Vignemale,  careless  optimist  that  he 
was,  lighted  a  cigar  while  descending  the  grand 
staircase.    His  comrade  was  in  no  such  hurry 
to  smoke.    Although  not  easily  affected,  hav- 
ing always  lived  to  amuse  himself,  and  never 
taking  anything  too  seriously,  the  judicial 
drama  which  he  had  just  witnessed  had  im- 
pressed him  very  strongly,  and  he  was  more 
preoccupied  than  he  would  like  to  have  con- 
fessed, with  his  future  relations  with  Mme  de 
Noyal.    He  would  be  almost  obliged  to  see 
her  again,  although  he  had  said  the  contrary, 
and  he  was  not  decided  about  it.    He  hoped 
that  she  would  relieve  him  from  his  embarrass- 
ment by  expatriating  herself,  or  at  least  by 
withdrawing  from  society  so  that  she  might  be 
forgotten. 


22  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

The  jury  had  acquitted  her  but  Robert 
doubted  her  innocence.  He  was  traveling  in 
Scotland  when  the  murder  was  committed  in 
the  park  of  a  villa  in  the  suburbs  of  Paris.  He 
heard  of  the  event  through  the  papers,  then 
almost  immediately  of  the  arrest  of  the  Bar- 
oness. The  proceedings  of  this  strange  trial 
had  not  enlightened  him  very  much.  He  would 
have  liked  to  know  more  before  coming  to  a 
conclusion,  but  he  had  obtained  no  further  in- 
formation— not  concerning  the  facts — but  about 
the  causes. 

While  waiting  for  an  opportunity,  he  wished 
to  separate  himself  from  his  friend  Raoul,  to 
whom  he  w^ould  not  confide  his  perplexities 
and  whose  company  would  have  hindered  him. 
He  was  seeking  a  pretext,  when  he  saw,  in  a 
group  at  the  foot  of  the  staircase,  the  man  who 
had  read  the  verdict.  The  others  were  also 
jurymen  and  seemed  to  be  talking  among 
themselves,  of  the  case  which  they  had  just  de- 
cided. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  23 

Robert  wanted  very  much  to  hear  what  they 
were  saying,  but  he  could  not  mingle  in  their 
conversation,  and  was  passing  on  his  way  just 
as  they  separated,  after  shaking  hands  with 
each  other.  He  followed  with  his  eyes  the  one 
whom  he  had  observed  in  the  court-room,  and 
was  not  surprised  to  see  him  get  into  an  elegant 
coupe  which  was  waiting  on  the  Boulevard  du 
Palais.  This  personage  had  already  seemed  to 
him  to  belong  to  that  section  of  the  world 
which  rides  in  its  carriage,  and  as  the  only  one 
of  his  kind  on  the  jury.  He  regretted  that  he 
did  not  know  his  name,  but  he  hoped  to  meet 
him  some  day  in  a  parlor  or  club-room,  and  re- 
solved in  that  case  to  get  some  one  to  intro- 
duce him,  for  the  sole  purpose  of  finding  out 
what  he  thought  of  the  trial  of  the  Baroness. 

*'Who  is  that  juror  who  is  bowing  to  you 
suddenly  asked  Vignemale,  stopping  in  the 
middle  of  the  large  court. 
"What, — a  juror?"  murmured  du  Plessis, 
**Yes,  I  saw  him  on  the  benches." 


24  THE    MYSJERIOUS  JUROR. 

*'That  is  my  upholsterer — M.  Dauphin.  Do 
you  think  he  was  on  the  jury 

"  I  am  sure  of  it.  One  does  not  soon  forget 
a  head  like  that ;  it  seems  to  me  he  is  anxious 
to  speak  to  you.  Is  he  going  to  present  his 
bill?" 

"No,  for  I  do  not  owe  him  anything,  but  I 
should  like  to  talk  with  him." 

"Really  ?  Well,  then  I  will  leave  you.  I  do 
not  care  to  talk  with  this  famous  merchant,  and 
I  will  be  off  to  the  club,  where  I  shall  find  a 
card  party  perhaps,  by  way  of  an  appetizer  be- 
fore dinner." 

"As  you  please,"  said  Robert,  who,  as  we 
have  seen,  wished  to  be  relieved  of  his  com- 
panion, "  I  will  try  to  join  you  there,  but  I  wish 
to  give  an  order  to  M.  Dauphin,  and  since  I 
have  met  him  here,  I  will  improve  the  oppor- 
tunity." 

Vignemale  was  already  some  way  off,  for  he 
too  was  glad  to  separate,  from  his  friend.  He 
preferred  the  emotions  of  play  to  those  oi  the 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  2$ 

court-room,  and  it  was  difficult  for  him  to  pass 
a  whole  day  without  a  game  of  cards. 

When  Robert  w^as  alone,  within  a  few  steps 
of  the  upholsterer,  he  went  to  him  and  ad- 
dressed him  familiarly. 

**Well!  Monsieur  Dauphin,  you  were  on  the 
jury  and  the  trial  must  have  seemed  very  long 
to  you.'' 

**One  must  do  his  duty  as  a  citizen,"  re- 
sponded the  tradesman,  drawing  himself  up, 
**but  I  confess  that  this  has  been  pretty  hard.'' 

**It  certainly  must  be  hard  to  leave  business 
when  one  is  at  the  head  of  a  house  like  yours." 

**Oh!  that  is  nothing;  but  when  it  is  a  ques- 
tion of  a  woman's  life  " 

Fortunately  you  acquitted  her." 

"Yes — by  a  small  majority.  There  were 
seven  for  acquittal  and  five  against.  Six  against 
six  the  result  would  have  been  the  same,  but  a 
change  of  only  two  would  have  condemned 
her." 

"Is  it  indiscreet  to  ask  how  you  voted  ?" 


26  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

**No,  Monsieur,  for  I  have  the  courage  of  my 
convictions.  I  voted  for  conviction,  but  I 
should  also  have  voted  for  extenuating  circum- 
stances. I  am  absolutely  opposed  to  capital 
punishment." 

"Oh!  then  I  am  certain  that  you  voted  con- 
scientiously, I,  perhaps,  should  have  acquitted 
Mme.  de  Noyal.'' 

"If  she  was  acquitted,  it  was  because  she 
had  an  able  advocate.'* 

"Who?  Her  counsel?^' 

"No,  the  foreman  of  the  jury.  Ah!  but  she 
owes  him  a  big  debt.'* 

"What!"  cried  Robert,  "did  he  speak  in 
favor  of  the  accused 

"Yes,  Monsieur,''  responded  the  upholsterer, 
"and  much  better  than  her  counsel  did.  When 
we  went  into  the  jury-room,  we  were  all  for 
conviction.  Well,  in  three-quarters  of  an  hour 
he  had  changed  the  majority— arid  not  by  any 
high-flown  rhetoric  either — but  by  talking  sim- 
ply, just  as  he  would  have  talked  in  a  parlon 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.'  2/ 

He  has  reasons  which  convince  you — if  you 
only  listen  to  him.  My  mind  was  already 
made  up,  and  yet  there  was  a  moment  when  I 
was  almost  persuaded." 

**He  should  seek  admission  to  the  bar;  he 
would  make  a  hundred  thousand  francs  a  year." 

**Oh!  there  is  no  need  of  that !  He  is  very 
rich.  You  must  know  his  name,  the  Marquis 
de  Chenerailles.'* 

**No,  I  do  not  know  him  at  all." 

**That  is  astonishing,  for  he  is  often  men- 
tioned in  the  fashionable  journals,  and  I  should 
very  much  like  to  be  his  upholsterer,  for  he  is 
going  to  furnish  a  superb  apartment  which  he 
has  just  hired  in  the  neighborhood  of  the 
Champs  Elysees.'' 

"If  I  should  make  his  acquaintance  I  will 
recommend  you  to  him,''  said  Robert  du  Plessis, 
a  little  ironically;  "but  I  think  he  must  know 
Mme.  de  Noyal,  since  he  defended  her  so  ably.*' 

"That  cannot  be,  or  the  prosecution  would 
have  challenged  him." 


28  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR, 

**True!  and  it  permitted  this  gentleman  to 
take  his  seat,  very  fortunately  too,  for  perhaps 
she  was  innocent/' 

**I  doubt  it,  but  I  am  very  well  pleased  that 
she  came  out  of  it  safely,  for  if  she  had  been 
condemned  to  death  I  should  have  had  bad 
dreams,  and  I  have   just  passed  through  so 

many  emotions  " 

'  **That  you  long  to  get  home  to  recover  your- 
self. Good  evening  M.  Dauphin.  Come  to 
my  house  some  morning,  I  want  to  renew  the 
paper  on  my  smoking-room,"  and  without 
stopping  to  hear  the  upholsterer's  thanks, 
Robert  went  with  accelerated  steps  toward  the 
Boulevard  du  PalaiSc 


CHAPTER  II. 

Whither  was  he  going  so  rapidly  ?  He  did 
not  know  himself,  but  he  felt  impelled  to  walk 
fast  in  the  open  air  after  eight  hours  in  the 
stifling  atmosphere  of  the  court-room. 

He  went  up  the  boulevard,  and  instead  of 
going  over  the  Pont  au  Change,  turned  to  the 
left,  by  the  Quay  de  V  Horologe.  Night  had 
come,  and  there  were  very  few  people  on  the 
quay,  which  is  not  mu^eh  frequented  even  in 
day  time,  especially  at  the  entrance  which  is 
darkened  by  the  high  towers  of  the  Concier- 
gerie,*  for  farther  on,  in  the  house  which  sepa- 
rates it  from  the  old  Place  Dauphine,  there  are 
shops  and  lighted  windows.  Robert  walked 
along  the  parapet  by  the  river.  He  was  pleased 
with  the  isolation  for  it  permitted  him  to  be- 
come absorbed  in  his  reflections,  and  he  went 
on  without  looking  in  front  of  him,  so  that  he 

*  A  prison. 


30  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

just  escaped  running  against  two  men  who 
were  talking  on  the  sidewalk,  near  a  carriage. 

He  hastened  to  get  down  into  the  roadway, 
when  by  the  light  of  a  gas  jet  he  recognized  the 
foreman  of  the  jury.  This  gentleman  was 
about  to  enter  his  carriage.  One  foot  was  al- 
ready in,  and  his  interlocutor  was  holding  the 
door  open,  as  the  commissionaires  do  at  the 
entrance  of  the  theatres. 

The  latter  certainly  did  not  belong  to  what 
the  bourgeois  call  the  classe  dirigeante  (direct- 
ing class). 

He  wore  a  soft  felt  hat,  a  pink  cravat,  and  a 
checked  suit  of  clothes.  He  would  have  made 
a  fine  appearance  on  the  outside  boulevards,  at 
the  hour  when  the  gentlemen  who  wear  caps 
with  three  flaps  walk  abroad,  for  he  had  the 
physique  of  a  workman;  he  was  not  more 
than  twenty-five  years  of  age,  had  a  leaden 
complexion  and  wore  heart-breakers "  plas- 
tered on  his  sallow  temples.    What  could  M. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  31^. 

de  Chenerailles  have  to  say  to  such  a  queer  fel- 
low ?  Robert  asked  himself  this  question  as 
he  brusquely  left  the  path  so  as  to  avoid  meet- 
ing them  face  to  face. 

Although  he  had  got  out  of  the  way  so  quick- 
ly, he  had  seen  the  gentleman  put  a  bank-note 
into  the  hand  of  the  blackguard,  and  then  en- 
ter his  carriage  which  rolled  rapidly  toward 
the  Pont  Neuf. 

The  man  with  the  soft  hat,  after  pocketing 
the  note,  expressed  his  joy  by  executing  a  fling 
which  would  have  made  a  success  in  a  ball  of 
the  barriere  and  started  off  in  the  same  direc- 
tion as  the  coupe,  without  noticing  Robert  du 
Plessis,  whom  he  left  behind. 

Why  did  Robert  immediately  follow  him  ? 
From  mere  curiosity,  without  any  hope  of  sat- 
isfying it,  and  even  without  knowing  what  he 
should  gain,  if,  by  any  chance,  he  should  dis- 
cover the  motive  of  the  clandestine  relations 
between  the  lord  of  Chenerailles  and  a  street 
loafer. 


32  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

At  any  other  time,  he  would  have  thought 
very  little  of  this  mystery.  Of  what  impor- 
tance was  it  to  him  that  the  person  whom  M. 
Dauphin  admired  was  a  false  lord?— the  species 
is  not  rare  in  Paris— or  perhaps  the  mysterious 
chief  of  some  association  of  low  fellows?  He 
had  seen  him  for  the  first  time  on  the  jury 
bench,  and  probably  would  never  see  him 
again,  although  the  upholsterer  had  said  he  was 
well  launched  in  fashionable  society. 

But  this  evening,  disturbed  by  a  series  of 
uuforeseen  events  and  strange  coincidences, 
Robert  du  Plessis  was  disposed  to  be  restive, 
like  a  horse  startled  by  the  unexpected  report 
of  a  cannon. 

He  had  reached  the  age  of  thirty  without 
having  done  any  serious  work  or  having  any 
serious  thoughts. 

He  was  the  son  of  a  grave  magistrate  and  a 
pious  mother,  who  had  died  when  he  was  very 
young,  and  at  his  majority  he  found  himself 


THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  33 

master  of  a  handsome  fortune,  which  he  spent 
freely. 

He  knew  no  other  law  than  his  own  fancy, 
and  the  only  tender  sentiment  which  he  had 
experienced  was  inspired  by  the  unfortunate 
young  girl  wTio  had  been  murdered  in  Mme.  de 
Noyal's  park.  He  had  never  confessed  this 
sentiment  to  its  object,  and  he  believed  that  he 
had  concealed  it  so  well  that  even- Mme.  de 
Noyal  had  not  suspected  it. 

However  that  may  have  been,  Raoul  now 
knew  how  it  was,  for  Robert  had  allowed  it  to 
escape  him  that  he  had  thought  of  asking  the 
hand  of  Mile.  Caristie.  Raoul  Vignemale, 
broker  by  profession,  and  a  gay  fellow,  would 
willingly  have  told  big  stories  of  his  matri- 
monial designs:  but  he  was  incapable  of  be- 
traying a  secret,  and  if  he  thought  about  it  at 
all,  would  not  think  long. 

Robert  could  not  forget  the  poor,  dead  girl 
so  easily,  and  he  longed  to  avenge  her.  Unoc- 
cupied as  he  was,  he  had  nothing  better  to  do 


34  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

than  to  search  for  the  assassin,  for  he  was  now 
inclined  to  believe  that  the  jury  was  not  mis- 
taken in  acquitting  the  ac(:used,  and  he  would 
be  very  proud  and  very  happy  to  find  the  real 
criminal.    It  may  have  been  a  chimerical  en- 
terprise; but  this  v/as  another  reason  why  it 
should  tempt  Robert,  who,  in  spite  of  the  scep- 
ticism which  he  affected,  had  a  strong  tendency 
to  imitate  the  chevalier  Don  Quixote  de  la 
Mancha,  redresser  of  wrongs  and  seeker  of 
adventures. 

The  accident  of  two  successive  meetings 
seemed  to  indicate  a  trail.  M.  Dauphin  had 
stopped  him  in  the  Palace  yard  to  inform  him 
that  Mme.  de  Noyal  owed  her  release  to  this 
foreman  of  the  jury  whom  he  had  just  surprised 
talking  familiarly  with  a  man  of  suspicious  ap- 
pearance, on  a  deserted  quay. 

Robert's  imagination  supplied  the  rest.  He 
fancied  that  he  held  the  end  of  a  thread  which 
would  lead  to  some  interesting  discoveries,  and 
meanwhile  he  put  himself  on  the  track  of  the 


THE  MYSTORIOUS  JUROR.  35 

person  v/ho  had  just  received  a  bank-note  as  a 
gratuity. 

This  was  surely  too  much  to  give  to  a  door 
opener,  and  it  might  easily  be  supposed  that  it 
had  been  given  in  payment  for  some  important 
service. 

The  rogue  was  going  away  with  his  nose  in 
the  air  and  his  hands  in  his  pocket.  Du  Plessis, 
who  had  never  before  followed  anybody,  ex- 
cepting pretty  women,  kept  a  little  too  near 
him,  for  he  exposed  himself  to  the  danger  of 
being  observed,  an  imprudence  which  a  pro- 
fessional detective  would  not  have  committed  ; 
but  the  man,  having  come  out  on  the  Pont 
Neuf  without  turning  round,  ran  after  an  om- 
nibus which  was  passing,  caught  it  while  in 
motion,  and  climbed  nimbly  upon  the  roof. 

Robert  did  not  hesitate  to  do  the  same,  and 
this  time  there  was  no  risk,  for  the  roofs  are 
free  to  all,  so  long  as  there  is  any  room,  and 
there  was  still  one  place  left  just  beside  the 
last  passenger. 


36  THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Robert  could  now  examine  him  at  his  leis- 
■are,  and  he  was  sure  of  not  losing  trace  of 
him,  for  he  had  resolved  to  descend  when  his 
neighbor  did. 

He  was  ignorant,  however,  where  this  pursuit 
would  lead  him.  He  was  not  familiar  with  the 
routes^ of  the  omnibuses,  for  he  never  used 
them,  and  he  would  have  been  puzzled  to  guess 
by  what  line  he  was  traveling. 

The  omnibus  was  painted  in  dark  green ;  it 
had  red  lanterns  and  went  towards  the  right 
bank  of  the  Seine.  He  did  not  know  anything 
more  about  it,  but  he  had  already  sacrificed  his 
evening,  and  was  not  sorry  to  go  wherever  the 
man,  whom  he  intended  to  keep  in  sight, 
should  lead. 

He  observed  him  stealthily,  and  the  longer 
he  watched  the  less  he  doubted  that  this  citi- 
zen was  a  member  of  one  of  those  social  "cate- 
gories upon  which  a  recent  law  has  imposed  a 
penalty— quite  new  to  our  code— the  penalty 
of  banishment.    To  whatever  place  he  might 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  37 

be  bound  today,  sooner  or  later,  he  would  ar- 
rive at  Cayenne. 

He  had  just  foiled  a  cigarette  which  he 
lighted  by  scratching  a  match  upon  his  trous- 
ers, and  while  smoking  he  would  often  feel  in 
the  pocket  of  his  vest,  into'^which,  in  default 
of  a  pocket-book,  he  had  slipped  the  violet 
bank-note  with  which  the  beautifully  gloved 
hand  of  the  Marquis  had  so  delighted  him. 

Doubtless,  he  was  not  accustomed  to  carry 
in  his  vest-pocket  paper  of  the  Bank  of  France 
and  he  did  not  wish  to  lose  it. 

He  could  not  be  called  ugly,  for  his  features 
were  regular,  his  eyes  bright,  and  his  figure 
slender.  But  his  face,  faded  before  its  time, 
had  an  insolent  and  cunning  expression.  It 
was  the  face  of  a  man  intelligent,  audacious, 
shrewd  and  ready  for  any  kind  of  villainous 
work. 

Decidedly,  the  Marquis  de  Chenerailles  had 
a  vicious  acquaintance  in  this  man,  and  Robert 
du  Plessis  was  not  wrong  in  suspecting  him. 


38  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

But  he  did  not  stop  there,  and  he  had  a  great 
desire  to  make  this  pretty  fellow  talk,  but  he 
was  at  a  loss  to  know  how  to  do  this  without 
putting  him  on  his  guard.  At  last  he  took  out 
a  cigar  and  asked  him  for  a  light. 

**How  then!  with  pleasure  of  course,  my 
lord,''  cried  the  young  man,  presenting  the  end 
of  his  cigarette  without  removing  it  from  his 
mouth.  The  two  faces  almost  touched  one 
another,  and  Robert  noticed  that  his  neighbor 
took  his  face  in  at  one  glance,  while  saying: 
**That  London  cigar  smells  very  good.  I  shall 
buy  a  package  of  them  this  evening." 

Robert  did  not  venture  to  offer  him  one,  and 
there  was  a  brief  silence.  But  the  cigarette 
smoker  seemed  anxious  to  chat,  and  soon  con- 
tinued: 

I  am  able  to  treat  myself  to  some  of  that 
sort;  I  have  done  a  good  day's  work.  I  have 
just  been  at  the  trial  of  a  woman  of  the  upper 
ten." 


THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  39 

"How  was  that?"  said  du  Plessis,  feigning 
not  to  understand  him. 

"Yes — a  Baroness.  She  was  acquitted.'* 
Robert  had  succeeded  at  the  first  attempt, 
much  better  than  he  had  hoped,  for  when  he 
asked  his  neighbor  for  a  light,  in  order  to  en- 
gage him  in  conversation,  he  had  no  idea  that 
he  would  talk  without  provocation  ol  Mme.  de 
Noyal. 

This  unexpected  beginning  put  him  at  his 
ease,  and  he  was  no  longer  afraid  of  being 
suspected  if  he  prolonged  the  conversation  to 
obtain  further  information  on  the  subject.  He 
dissimulated  his  surprise  and  said  with  the 
most  natural  air  in  the  world:  "Oh!  yes — I 
remember,  the  Baroness  who  murdered  her 
cousin.  The  papers  have  talked  of  nothing 
else  for  the  last  three  months.  How!  Did 
they  not  bring  her  in  guilty?" 

"She  had  a  hard  time — an  ordinary  citizen 
would  have  got  harcj  labor  for  life;  but  the 
gouzesses  of  the  upper  ten  always  manage  to  get 


40  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

out  of  it.  I  should  not  have  acquitted  her,  but 
I  am  satisfied  all  the  same,  because  th^curieux  i 
are  made  fools  of.  The  avocat-becheur^  wdi^  an- 
noyed—you ought  to  have  seen  him.*' 

Although  not  very  conversant  with  this  argot, 
du  Plessis  was  too  thorough  a  Parisian  not  to 
know  that,  in  the  language  of  rogues,  the  judges 
are  called  curieux,  and  that  the  avocat-becheur  is 
the  public  prosecutor. 

This  fellow  was  of  the  same  opinion  as  the 
upholsterer  and  if  he  had  been  sworn  he  would 
not  have  voted  with  the  noble  personage  who 
had  just  greased  his  palm  on  the  Quay  de  T 
Horologe,  a  singularity  to  be  noted. 

**You  were  fortunate  in  being  able  to  get  in" 
said  Robert,  careful  not  to  contradict  him.  *'It 
was  pretended  that  tickets  were  sold  as  dear 
as  orchestra  chairs  at  the  opera." 

"  That  is  easily  understood,"  said  his  neigh- 
bor gravely:  a_criminal  case  is  like  a  first  night 
at  the  theater.    It  is  necessary  to  maneuver  a 

z.  Literally,  inquisitive  ones.  2.  Advocate-digger. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  4I 

little  to  secure  reserved  seats.  I  understand 
that  business.  I  have  done  it  in  my  time — but 
I  looked  on  as  I  stood  in  Kne.  I  was  at  the 
back  of  the  room,  but  I  could  see  very  well. 
She  is  blonde.  For  myself  I  like  brunettes; 
but  you  can't  take  blondes  like  her  up  by  the 
shovelful.  She  has  eyes  I  can  tell  you.  She 
will  have  no  trouble  to  get  married  again — arid 
besides  she  is  very  well  off." 

How  did  he  know  that  Mme.  de  Noyal  was 
a  rich  widow?  Through  the  papers  perhaps, 
but  more  probably  through  M.  de  Chenerailles, 
thought  du  Plessis,  and  he  congratulated  him- 
self that  he  had  followed  this  rogue. 

Thus  far  he  heard  nothing  of  any  significance, 
but  he  did  not  despair  of  hearing  more  by 
listening  to  the  chatter  of  this  fellow.  He 
shrank  from  questioning  him,  for  that  would  be 
putting  himself  on  familiar  terms  all  at  once, 
and  he  had  not  decided  to  go  so  far  as  that. 
He  preferred  to  listen,  while  limiting  himself 
to  keeping  up  the  talk. 
\ 


42  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

"Yes/'  said  he,  "she  has  a  large  fortune  it 
appears.'* 

"A  hundred  thousand  francs  a  year!  that 
would  keep  me  in  boots.  If  I  had  that  much  I 
could  slip  along  smoothly.  I  have'nt,  but  I 
have  nothing  to  complain  of,"  continued  the 
man,  plunging  his  fingers 'into  his  vest-pocket 
to  be  sure  that  the  note  was  still  there. 
"Then  business  is  good?"  asked  Robert. 
"Oh!  it  has  its  ups-and-downs.  I  have  done 
well  to-day.  I  have  bread  on  the  shelf  and  I 
have  an  idea  that  I  shall  soon  have  some  butter 
to  put  on  it." 

He  counts  on  a  repetition  of  the  perquisites, 
thought  Robert. 

And  he  had  no  doubt  that  this  equivocal 
individual  was  in  the  pay  of  M.  de  Chenerailles. 
What  could  have  been  the  service  he  had  per- 
formed for  the  defender  of  the  Baroness? 
Robert  could  not  guess,  but  he  was  only  the 
more  anxious  to  push  the  inquiry  which  was  so 
well  begun.    It  was  evident  that  the  man  with 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  43 

the  soft  hat  had  no  idea  that  his  fellow-traveler 
had  seen  him  pocket  a  royal  pour-boirer  ior:  if 
he  had  suspected  it  he  would  not  have  made 
any  allusion  to  the  gift,  nor  boasted  of  expect- 
ing others.  Robert  could;  therefore,  advance  a 
little  farther  without  any  risk  of  being  mis- 
trusted. 

''Do  you  operate  at  the  Bourse?"  he  asked. 

"Yes,  sometimes,'*  responded  his  neighbor, 
visibly  flattered  at  being  taken  for  a  speculator 
or  even  'd.remisies,  '*but  that  is  too  risky,  one 
has  to  drink  bubbles  too  often,  and  I  like  my 
own  profession  better— I  am  a  commercial 
broker." 

*'  That  is  safer." 

"Oh!  It  is  not  always  what  I  should  like, 
but  I  have  just  put  my  hands  on  a  good  client 
and  that  will  be  all  right.  Are  you  in  business?" 

"No,  I  live  on  my  income." 

"Oh!  that  would  suit  me;  unfortunately  my 
father  forgot  to  leave  me  any  income.  I  am 
not  any  the  wprse  off  for  that,  and  it  does  not 


44  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

prevent  my  enjoying  myself  when  I  am  in 
funds.  I  am  going  up  to  the  Butte  this  even- 
ing, as  you  see.'* 

Robert  understood  what  Butte  he  was  speak- 
ing of,  and  he  was  not  sorry  to  know  that  the 
omnibus  was  going  to  Montmartre. 

*'That  is  the  best  place  there  is  to  enjoy  ones- 
self.  Are  you  going  up  to  the  old  Butte?" 
asked  his  amiable  neighbor. 

"I  am  going  to  see  one  of  my  friends,  who  is 
a  painter  and  lives  there,''  Robert  hastened  to 
reply,  delighted  to  have  found  a  pretext  for 
going  to  the  end  of  the  route,  without  arousing 
the  suspicions  of  the  self-styled  commercial 
broker. 

'^Painters,  the  place  is  full  of  them,  and  I 
know  some  who  are  good  zigs — my  sister  is  a 
model,  and  I  used  to  pose  in  the  studios  some- 
times." 

Du  Plessis  knew  some  artists  also,  but  he 
could  not  dream  of  asking  them  for  informa- 
tion of  a  man  whose  name  he  did  not  know. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  45 

He  resolved  to  come  back  sometime  and  stroll 
about  Montmartre  with  the  friends  he  had 
there,  and  he  did  not  despair  of  meeting  him. 
pointing  him  out  to  them  and  thus  learning  the 
truth  about  this  singular  broker.  Meanwhile 
the  heavy  carriage  was  approaching  the  end  of 
the  rou^e.  It  had  stopped  at  the  Place  de  la 
Bourse,  then  in  the  Rue  de  Chateaudun,  and 
was  now  mounting  the  steep  Rue  des  Martyrs. 

The  two  men  alone  remained  on  the  roof 
of  the  omnibus,  and  they  had  stopped  talking, 
Robert  from  fear  of  saying  too  much,  the  other, 
perhaps,  because  he  was  afraid  that  he  had  said 
quite  enough.  The  difficult  moment  for  Robert 
was  approaching.  It  was  a  question  how  he 
could  keep  his  man  in  sight,  when  he  should 
have  set  his  foot  on  the  ground,  and  how  to 
follow  him  without  being  seen.  It  was  not  an 
easy  thing  to  do,  but  it  cost  nothing  to  try. 

The  omnibus  stopped  in  front  of  the  coach 
office,  near  the  fountain  in  the  middle  of  the 
Place  Pigalle. 


46  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

"Here  we  are,"  said  the  neighbor  rising 
quickly,  am  not  sorry  that  we  have  arrived, 
for  it  makes  one  awfully  hungry  and  still  more 
thirsty,  I  am  going  to  fill  up  in  good  style  and 
drain  a  bottle  or  two.  Good  luck  to  you,  my 
prince." 

And,  without  waiting  for  any  response,  he 
tumbled  down  without  even  touching  the  steps. 

Du  Plessis,  before  descending,  saw  him  direct 
his  steps  towards  a  large  house  on  the  corner 
of  the  boulevard  on  the  other  side  of  the  square. 

He  knew  this  house,  which  was  lighted  from 
top  to  bottom,  for  he  had  once  breakfasted 
there;  he  knew  that  it  was  the  most  popular 
restaurant  in  the  quarter,  and  he  was  glad  that 
the  man  was  going  to  dine  there,  for  he  would 
not  have  dared  to  enter  a  low-class  eating- 
house  behind  him,  while  he  could  dine  at  the 
Abbaye  de  Theleme"  without  causing  remark. 
His  neighbor  of  the  outside  would  not  be  sur-  . 
prised  to  see  him  there,  and  Robert  felt  that  he 
would  not  try  to  renew  the  conversation.  He 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.      "  47 

would  watch  the  man  from  a  distance  while  he 
was  dining,  and  prepare  to  finish  at  the  same 
time  and  go  out  immediately  behind  him;  for 
he  had  decided  to  follow  him  until  he  should 
know  where  he  lodged. 

Once  started,  Robert  did  not  stop,  even  when 
on  a  perilous  road,  any  more  than  does  a  hunter 
who  has  just  started  a  hare  hesitate  to  go 
through  thickets  bristling  with  th6rns. 

The  game  which  he  was  pursuing  had  just 
disappeared  on  the  staircase  of  the  restaurant 
whose  Rabelesque  sign  was  displayed  in  Gothic 
letters  on  a  brick  facade. 

Robert  lost  no  time  in  entering  after  him. 

There  was  a  cafe  on  the  ground  floor,. but  the 
man  had  not  stopped  there,  and  Robert  found 
him  installed  in  the  back  of  the  large  salon  on 
the  first  floor. 

Many  of  the  tables  were  already  occupied, 
and  Robert  was  looking  for  a  place  favorable 
to  his  designs,  when  he  saw  an  artist  of  his 
acquaintance  who  had  just  seated  himself  near 


48    ^  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

the  door,  immediately  opposite  the  suspect, 
and  who  perceiving  him,  cried: 

**What,  you  here?  What  luck!  You  must 
dine  with  me;  sit  down  right  there,  my  friend!" 

Du  Plessis  needed  no  urging,  and  he  could 
not  have  chosen  a  better  place,  for  his  man 
could  not  go  out  without  passing  quite  near 
him. 

**What  good  wind  blew  you  to  our  moun- 
tain?" asked  the  painter,  whose  name  was 
Cadornac. 

**My  dear  fellow,"  responded  du  Plessis 
gaily,  "  I  should  find  it  difficult  to  explain  it  to 
you.  Just  fancy  that  the  idea  suddenly  came 
to  me  to  jump  into  an  omnibus,  without  know- 
ing whither  it  was  going.  It  dropped  me  at 
Jlace  Pigalle."_ 

•'I  bless  that  omnibus,  for  I  see  you  too  sel- 
dom; and  now  that  I  have  you,  I  am  not  going 
to  let  go  of  you  all  the  evening.  When  we 
leave  here  I  will  show  you  the  curiosities  of  the 
quarter,  from  the  Chat  Noir  to  the  Elysee  Mont- 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  49 

martre,  passing  the  Moulin  Rouge.  You  will 
not  be  bored,  I  promise  you.'' 

**I  am  never  bored  in  your  company/*  said 
Robert  politely. 

He  meant  what  he  said,  for  he  appreciated 
his  friend  at  his  full  value.  Pierre  Cadornac 
was  a  talented  artist,  a  sensible  and  polite  man 
and  a  jolly  companion.  He  asked  nothing  bet- 
ter than  to  be  his  guest;  only,  he  mentally 
reserved  the  right  to  resume  his  liberty  after 
dinner.  He  sat  down  to  the  table,  and  did 
honor  to  the  cooking  of  the  *'Abbaye  de 
Theleme,"  at  the  same  time  keeping  watch, 
from  the  corner  of  his  eye,  of  his  former 
neighbor,  who  noticed  no  one,  so  occupied  was 
he  in  filling  and  emptying  his  glass: 

"You  see  that  we  are  not  in  the  Cafe 
And  ais,*' said  Cadornac  laughing.  "The  com- 
pany is  very  much  mixed  here  as  you  see — not 
a  few  good  citizens  with  their  wives,  more  or 
less  legitimate — over  there  are  some  pupils  of 
a  school  of  sculpture  on  the  Boulevard  Clichy 


50  'THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

who  have  come  here  to  regale  themselves,  for 
a  novelty — farther  on,  to  our  right,  the  femi- 
nine element  is  brilliantly  represented  by  the 
fine  flower  of  the  frequenters  of  the  Circus 
Fernando — you  and  I  represent  the  ton — it  is 
complete." 

*'And  very  amusing,"  added  du  Plessis. 
**Theman  opposite  us  is  a  veritable  type — that 
fellow  with  his  hat  on  his  head  and  who  has  on 
such  a  pretty  pink  cravat." 

**0h!  he  does  not  come  here  very  often,  but 
a  fellow  of  that  kind  can  only  be  seen  in  this 
quarter — that  one  is  one  of  the  celebrities  of 
the  Butte — he  is  the  illustrious,  the  incom- 
parable, the  only  Fil-de-Soie," 

"This  is  the  first  time  I  have  ever  heard  of 
this  illustrious  person.  To  what  does  Mr. 
Fil-de-Soie  owe  his  notoriety?"  asked  Robert 
smiling. 

"  Oh  !"  said  Cadornac, it  has  not  yet  reached 
the  grand  boulevards.  He  owes  it  to  his 
talent  as  a  dancer." 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  5 1 

'*At  the  Opera?'' 

**No,and  I  think  his  dancing  would  not  have 
any  success  there,  but  he  is  without  a  rival  at 
Montmartre7  The  stars  of  the  fancy-dance 
carry  him  off.  Nini  Patte-en-rair  goes  mad 
over  him^  the  Goulue  will  have  no  other 
partner^'' 

**That  is  an  honor  which  he  ought  to  be 
proud  of.  Has  he  no  other  business  than  to 
use  his  legs?'' 

*'I  know  of  no  other— and  I  assure  you  that 
he  makes  a  good  living  at  it— but  as  he  dances 
only  in  the  evening,  I  suppose  that  he  follows 
some  trade  in  the  day  time  if  only  to  keep  out 
of  the  way  of  the  police  who  pick  a  quarrel 
very  willingly  with  people  who  have  no  pro- 
fession." 

Robert  might  have  told  his  friend  that  Fil- 
de-  Soie  pretended  to  be  a  commercial  broker, 
but  he  contented  himself  by  saying  carelessly. 

**He  must  live  on  the  Butte." 
Or  in  the  neighborhood,  if  he  have  any 


52  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

home— and  I  doubt  it  very  iriuch— he  does  not 
dwell— he  perches,  it  is  for  people  like  him  that 
furnished  lodgings  were  invented,  and  the 
quarter  abounds  in  them/' 

"The  devil,"  thought  Robert,  "I  shall  have 
trouble  to  find  out  anything  about  him  from 
his  concierge." 

**But,''  continued  Cadornac,  "  he  is  sure  to  be 
found,  every  evening  from  nine  o'clock  till 
midnight,  at  the  Moulin-Rouge  or  at  the 
Elysee— and  if  you  are  curious  to  see  him  kick 
about  you  are  in  luck— there  is  a  grand  fete 
to-night  at  the  Moulin  Rouge— it  is  only  two 
steps  from  here  and  I  will  accompany  you, 
when  we  have  finished  our  dinner." 

should  like  to  go,"  said  Robert,  who  had  no 
reason  for  refusing  now  that  he  knew  some- 
thing of  the  habits  of  Fil-de-Soie. 

He  was  not  obliged  to  conceal  himself  any 
further,  for  Fil-de-Soie  would  not  be  surprised 
to  see  the  gentleman  with  whom  he  had  trav- 
eled, at  a  public  ball  which  everybody  attended. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  53 

Robert  did  not  expect  to  gain  anything  more 
this  evening,  but  he  was  satisfied  to  know 
where  he  could  find  him  again,  and  he  was  not 
unwilling  to  witness  his  choregraphic  exercises. 

He  had  begun  to  consider  the  incidents 
which  had  disturbed  his  mind,  with  more  cool- 
ness, and  to  think  that  the  colloquy  on  the 
Quay  de  1  Horologe  might  be  very  simply  ex- 
plained. 

It  did  not  follow,  because  the  foreman  of  the 
jury  paid  money  to  a  rascal  like  Fil-de-Soie, 
that  the  relations  between  them  had  any  con- 
nection with  the  criminal  case  which  had  just 
been  tried. 

These  relations,  of  course,  did  the  Marquis 
no  credit,  but  there  was  more  than  one  way  of 
explaining  them,  for  Fil-de-Soie,  a  public 
dancer,  could  be  useful  in  many  ways  to  a  man 
who  was  looking  for  easy  conquests.  Robert,- 
however,  had  not  entirely  changed  his  firsti 
opinion.  He  could  still  see,  indistinctly 
through  the  obscurity,  some  complicated  web, 


54  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

and  while  acknowledging  that  he  might  be 
mistaken,  he  did  not  forget  M.  de  Chenerailles 
and  his  acquaintance  with  a  person  who  was 
game  for  the  police.  Only  he  was  no  longer 
in  such  a  hurry  to  clear  up  the  mystery. 

Fil-de-Soie  took  no  notice  of  him  although 
he  saw  him  perfectly,  but  emptied  his  second 
bottle  of  wine,  which  bore  a  red  seal  and  must 
have  been  a  kind  of  Burgundy,  and  ate  with 
frightful  ardor  without  considering  the  conse- 
quences of  his  Pantagruelic  feast. 

He  carried  good  sail,  as  sailors  say,  and 
unlike  tenors  who  cannot  sing  if  they  dine 
before  going  on  the  stage,  he  never  danced 
better  than  after  drinking. 

When  he  asked  for  his  bill,  Robert  and 
Cadornac  were  at  their  coffee. 

Robert  noticed  that  he  paid  with  the  bank- 
note and  that  it  was  a  note  of  five  hundred 
francs;  this  he  ascertained  when  the  waiter 
returned  the  change  on  a  plate.     M.  de 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  55 

Chenerailles  recompensed  generously  the  peo* 
pie  who  served  him. 

After  pocketing  the  louis  and  the  small  bills 
with  an  air  as  indifferent  as  if  he  had  been 
accustomed  to  carry  so  large  a  sum  about  him, 
Fil-dc-Soie  went  out  of  the  room  without  look- 
ing at  any  one. 

**He  seems  to  be  rolling  in  gold/*  said  du 
Plessis  under  his  breath. 

"It  is  only  the  base  professions  that  pay" 
replied  Cadornac,  philosophically.  "  But  it  is 
not  far  from  ten  o^clock — the  quadrille  of  the 
celebrities  is  about  to  commence.  Let  us  go 
to  see  Fil-de-Soie  at  work," 

Nearly  all  the  people  had  left  The  gay 
talk  of  the  painter  had  prolonged  the  repast, 
much  to  Robert's  satisfaction,  for  he  had  not 
wished  to  leave  the  place  before  the  man 
whom  he  was  watching.  The  two  friends  went 
out  upon  the  square  and  walked  towards  the 
ball-room  ^ich  had  been  recently  opened  in 
the  place  of  a.  less  popular  one.  .  i 


56  THE   MYSTERIOUS  )UROR. 

A  colossal  mill  with  colored  glasses  whose 
sparkling  fans  turned  without  cessation,  indi- 
cated from  a  distance  the  entrance  to  this  new 
Eden,  which  had  been  created  by  an  intelligent 
director  who  knew  how  to  attract  the  dis- 
tinguished public  from  the  Jardin  de  Paris  and 
other  fashionable  resorts. 

Robert  du  Plessis  had  been  there  before,  but 
he  had  always  come  in  a  carriage,  and  was  sur- 
prised to  see  the  boulevard  which  led  to  it, 
almost  as  lively  at  this  time  of  night 
as  the  Boulevard  des  Italiens.  The  peo- 
ple were  of  a  different  class  and  the  street 
was  less  brilliantly  lighted  ;  but  it  was  livelier, 
more  stirring,  that  is  to  say  gayer.  Cadornac 
took  it  for  a  text  and  praised  the  delights  of 
this  eccentri^  quarter,  where  the  cafes  are  not 
closed  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and 
he  laughed  at  Robert,  who  referred  to  certain 
nocturnal  assaults  of  which  he  had  read  in  the 
papers- 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  57 

Assaults,  never !"  affirmed  the  artist;  ''noth- 
ing more  than  drunken  quarrels.  I  would  not 
be  afraid  to  walk  here  all  night  with  a  hundred 
thousand  francs  in  my  pocket  book." 

Robert  took  his  word  for  it  and  they  fol- 
lowed the  crowd  which  was  besieging  the 
doors.  This  was  the  time  for  the  fashionable 
tide,  as  the  morning  is  for  the  cavaliers  and 
amazons  in  the  Bois  de  Boulogne. 

Well-appointed  coupes  stopped  in  front  of 
the  large  door  illuminated  a  giovTto,  and 
deposited  upon  the  pavement,  not  only  elegant 
women  of  a  certain  class,  but  also  many  club- 
men with  flowers  in  their  buttonholes. 

Robert  was  not  astonished,  for  he  knew  that 
the  Moulin-Rouge  was  the  fashion,  but  he  was 
stupefied  when  he  saw  the  gentleman  of  the 
Quay  de  V  Horologe  get  out  of  one  of  the 
carriages. 

A  man  who  has  been  on  a  jury,  however, 
surely  has  a  right  to  amuse  himself  at  a  ball, 
aifter  sitting  all  day,  above  dXi  when  he  has  not 


58  THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

condemned  the  accused — which  was  the  case 
in  this  instance.  To  cap  the  climax,  this  juror 
saluted  Pierre  Cadornac,  in  passing,  and  the 
artist  returned  the  salute  with  warmth. 

**Do  you  know  that  gentleman?"  quickly 
asked  du  Plessis. 

"Not  very  v/ell,  do  you?" 

"No,  I  only  know  his  name.  He  is  called 
the  Marquis  de  Chencrailles." 

"I  did  not  know  that  he  was  a  Marquis,  but 
I  know  that  he  is  very  rich.  I  painted  his  por- 
trait last  year,  during  the  exposition,  and  he 
paid  me  royally." 

"So  you  went  to  his  house?" 

"No,  he  came  to  mine;  but  if  it  is  of  any 
interest  to  you  I  will  tell  you  that  he  lives  at 
No.  19  Rue  Galilee.*' 

"I  do  not  car^e  anything  about  it,"  du  Plessis 
hastened  to  say,  for  he  did  not  wish  his  friend 
to  understand  the  situation. 

"  His  portrait  was  a  success  at  the  last  salon," 
said  Cadornac.    "I  did  not  deserve  much 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  $9 

credit,  for  the  gentleman  has  a  very  striking- 
face— he  has  the  look  of  a  Fra  Diavolo.'* 
blonde  Diavolo  then." 

''That  is  true— he  is  a  blonde — he  borders  on 
the  red — but  he  has  the  eyes  of  a  bird  of  prey. 
I  never  get  tired  of  studying  those  eyes  when 
I  meet  them  at  the  Moulin-Rouge— he  comes 
there  quite  often— and  I  suspect  that  he  comes 
to  see  the  women." 

This  was  quite  probable,  and  admitting  that 
the  Marquis  employed  Fil-de  Soie  in  some 
private  work,  it  could  hardly  be  supposed  that 
he  would  give  him  an  interview  in  a  public 
place. 

Robert  told  himself  also  that  he  should  have 
less  trouble  in  getting  information  concerning 
this  gentleman  than  of  a  nomad  without  hearth 
or  home.  ^ 

He  felt  that  the  evening  had  not  been  lost, 
for  he  now  knew  the  address  of  M.  de  Chene- 
railles.  In  time,  and  as  well  known  as  he  was, 
Robert  would  surely  be  able  to  obtain  mora 


60  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

exact  information.  So,  for  this  night  he  could 
suspend  the  pursuit  of  both.  He  would  remain 
an  hour  at  the  Moulin-Rouge  to  see  the 
attractions,  after  which  there  would  be  nothing 
to  hinder  his  going  quietly  to  bed,  reserving 
the  pursuit  for  the  next  day,  if  it  should  seem 
best. 

He  entered  arm  in  arm  with  Cadornac,  who 
led  him  directly  to  the  immense  hall  where 
the  dancing  was  going  on. 

The  ball  was  at  its  height.  Fifty  couples 
rushed  madly  about,  urged  by  the  loud  blare 
of  the  brass  instruments  and  surrounded  by  a 
triple  row  of  enthusiastic  spectators. 

It  took  the  two  friends  some  time  to  push 
their  way  to  the  favored  quadrilles  in  which 
figured  the  principal  members  of  a  ballet  corps 
who  had  not  taken  lessons  of  M.  Merantc  of 
the  Grand  Opera;>Rayon  d'  Or,  ^Etoile  Filante, 
^Grille  d*  Egout,^LaGoulueand  others  less  illus- 
trious; but  they  arrived  at  the  psychological 

{  Oolden  Ray.  2  Falling  Star.  3  Sewer  Grating.  4  The  Glutton^ 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  6l 

moment  in  which  La  Goulue  was  executing  a 
step  impassible  to  describe:  there  were  leaps 
Kke  a  mad  goat,  inversions  of  the  body  which 
made  one  fear  that  she  was  going  to  break  in 
two,  and  flights  of  skirts  which  completely 
dazzled  the  eyes. 

The  spectators  stamped  their  feet  in  joy.  It 
was  soon  the  turn  of  Fil-de-Soie  to  come  on 
the  stage  to  dance  a  pas  seul,  and  Robert  saw 
at  once  that  Cadornac  had  not  over-praised 
the  talent  of  this  King  of  the  Moulin-Rouge. 

Fil-de-Soie  had  a  dance  of  his  own,  a  dance 
which  distinguished  him  from  the  jumpers 
hired  by  the  administration  to  dislocate  them- 
selves. He  could  do  with  his  body  whatever 
he  pleased,  just  as  they  could,  but  his  features 
were  as  mobile  as  his  joints,  and  he  accompa- 
nied his  contortions  with  expressions  of  the 
face  and  gestures  whose  significance  escaped 
Robert  de  Flessis. 

Thus  he  imitated  the  motions  of  a  man 
who  counts  crowns  with  one  hand,  and  with 


62  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

the  other  he  restrained  the  beatings  of  his 
heart,  raising  his  eyes  to  heaven  at  the  same 
time. 

The  gallery  understood,  perhaps,  for  it 
writhed  with  laughter,  whilst  Robert  wondered 
to  whom  this  pantomime  was  addressed. 

As  he  passed  the  spectators  in  review,  he 
saw  M.  de  Chenerailles  in  the  first  row.  Was 
Fil-de-Soie,  by  his  attitudes,  thanking  this 
gentleman  for  having  given  him  a  note  of  five 
hundred  francs?  Robert  was  tempted  to  think 
so.  But  soon  Fil-de-Soie  changed  his  mimicry. 
Without  ceasing  to  twist  his  legs,  he  stretched 
out  his  head  and  struck  the  nape  of  his  neck 
with  the  side  of  his  hand,  imitating,  no  doubt, 
the  fall  of  the  axe  on  the  neck  of  a  condemned 
person. 

Bravo,"  crjed  a  voice,  that  is  the  guillo- 
tine step,  by  persuasion."  "Vive  Fil-de-Soie!" 
shouted  the  spectators.  Fil-de-Soie  stopped 
suddenly,  took  his  head  between  his  hands 
and  made  believe  to  throw  himself  at  the 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  63 

feet  of  M.  de  Chenerailles,  who  was  not  look- 
ing at  him,  for  just  at  that  moment  he  was 
complimenting  a  pretty  danseuse  who  was 
very  close  to  him. 

The  quadrille  was  over.  Some  mad  fellows 
proposed  to  carry  Fil-de-Soie  and  La  Goulue 
off  in  triumph. 

The  couple  stole  away  at  the  suggestion,  but 
there  was  a  rush  which  broke  the  circle  and 
separated  the  two  friends. 

Robert  had  considerable  trouble  in  extrica- 
ting himself,  and,  when  he  had  succeeded,  he 
found  himself  among  people  whom  he  did  not 
know. 

M.  de  Chenerailles,  as  well  as  M.  Cadornac, 
had  disappeared. 

Nothing  more  was  lacking  to  cool  the  ardor 
of  Robert  du  Plessis  and  give  another  direction 
to  his  thoughts. 

He  knew  that  he  should  gain  nothing  by 
remaining  any  longer  at  the  ball^he  had  smn 
enough  to  convince  him  that  Fil-dc~Soie  and 


64  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

M.  de  Chenerailles  were  acquainted  and  the 
confusion  had  disgusted  him  with  watching 
them. 

To  the  devil  with  all  these  people!"  he 
growled  as  he  went  toward  the  door. 

*4  will  go  to  see  Cadornac  to-morrow  and  he 
will  excuse  me  for  leaving  him.  In  the  mean- 
while I  will  go  home  and  go  to  bed." 

He  longed  to  get  away,  but  he  was  dying  of 
thirst. 

After  crossing  the  large  hall,  he  sat  down  at 
an  empty  table  in  a  corner  of  the  vestibule 
opening  into  the  grand  entrance  of  the  build- 
ing. He  called  for  a  glass  of  iced  lemonade, 
which  he  paid  for  before  drinking,  without 
observing  three  individuals  who  were  drinking 
punch  beside  him  and  who  could  see  that  his 
pocket-book  was  well  filled.  Robert  was  too 
pre-occupied  to  notice  his  neighbors.  He  had 
soon  swallowed  the  refreshing  beverage  and 
left  the  place  without  perceiving  that  the 
punch  drinkers  had  risen  at  the  same  time. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  65 

On  his  way  out  he  met  a  number  of  late  com- 
ers, and,  as  soon  as  he  was  outside,  he  hastened 
to  cross  the  boulevard  to  be  out  of  the  way  of 
the  crowd  which  blocked  up  the  approach  to 
the  Moulin  Rouge. 

The  fresh  air  calmed  his  spirits. 

Du  Plessis  lived  on  the  Avenue  Percier  at 
the  corner  of  the  Rue  de  la  Boetie.  He  had 
only  to  go  down  the  Rue  Blanche  as  far  as  the 
Place  de  la  Trinite  and  then  walk  up  the 
Boulevard  Haussman.  The  distance  was  not 
great  and  the  weather  was  fine  for  walking. 

The  Place  Blanche  was  brilliantly  lighted,  but 
the  Rue  Blanche  was  dark,  for  the  nocturnal 
liveliness  so  much  boasted  of  by  Cadornac 
did  not  extend  much  beyond  the  Boulevard 
Clichy. 

Higher  up  on  the  Butte,  it  is  almost  deserted; 
toward  Paris  there  is  the  bourgeois  quiet  of  a 
small  village  of  capitalists  who  go  to  bed 
early. 


66  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

It  was  not  yet  midnight,  and  the  passers-by- 
were  already  becoming  rare.  The  merchants 
had  closed  their  shops,  and  the  silence  of  this 
solitary  way  seemed  the  more  profound  after 
the  noise  of  the  boulevard. 

Robert  did  not  observe  the  contrast.  He 
went  straight  on  grazing  the  houses  on  the  left 
and  recalling  the  scenes  of  this  eventful  even- 
ing. 

The  more  he  reflected,  the  more  he  was  con- 
vinced that  he  had  exaggerated  the  importance 
of  the  succession  of  facts,  independent  eacU 
of  the  other,  and  that  he  had  been  the  dupe 
of  his  own  imagination. 

There  was  nothing  positive  in  it  all,  except- 
ing the  acquittal  of  Mme.  de  Noyal. 

He  could  not  be  sorry  for  that,  and  now  the 
only  thing  for  him  to  decide  was  whether  he 
would  see  her  again. 

Now  he  had  all  the  time  to  think  about  it, 
and  he  said  to  himself  that  night  brings  coun- 
sel. 


THE_  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  67 

At  the  upper  end  of  the  Rue  Mansait,  which 
cuts  the  Rue  Blanche  obliquely,  he  was  jostled 
by  two  men  who  passed  by  him  and  were  soon 
out  of  sight,  for  they  walked  much  faster  than 
he.  A  moment  after  he  crossed  the  Rue  Chap- 
tal  and  continued  on  his  way,  and  when  he  had 
reached  the  half-open  gate  of  the  Cite  Gaillard 
he  had  the  intuition  that  some  one  was  follow- 
ing him. 

He  did  not  hear  him;  he  felt  it  and  he  was 
in  the  act  of  turning  around,  when  a  strap  was 
thrown  around  his  neck  from  behind  after 
grazing  his  face.  Lifted  from  the  ground  by  a 
violent  push,  he  lost  his  footing  and  remained 
suspended  on  the  back  of  his  assailant,  but  he 
did  not  lose  consciousness  immediately,  for 
he  could  hear  the  man  who  held  him  say: 

"Go  through  him  quick!  there  is  a  carriage 
coming.'* 

Robert  could  even  feel  the  hands  which  were 
fumbling  in  his  pockets;  then,  suffocated  by 
the  strap,  he  ceased  to  think  and  was  no  longer 


68  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

conscious  of  what  was  happening  to  him. 
When  he  regained  his  senses,  shocked  by  the 
fall  on  the  pavement,  he  comprehended  that 
the  scoundrels  who  had  just  robbed  him  had 
let  him  fall  so  that  they  might  escape.  And, 
on  opening  his  eyes,  he  saw  bending  over  him, 
a  gentleman  who  had  hold  of  his  hands  to  help 
him  to  rise.  Robert  with  his  help  was  soon  on 
his  feet. 

**Are  you  wounded,  monsieur,"  asked  the 
generous  unknown. 

And,  as  Robert  still  quite  giddy,  did  not  re- 
ply immediately,  he  resumed  quickly: 

"Surely  I  am  not  mistaken— I  met  you  at 
the  door  of  the  Moulin  Rouge.  You  were  with 
M.  Cadornac.'' 

**Yes,  it  was  I,"  stammered  Robert. 

"Then  I  am  more  fortunate  than  I  thought, 
since  I  have  been  of  service  to  a  friend  of  an 
artist  whom  I  highly  esteem,  and  who  is  very 
congenial  to  me.'' 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  69 

At  these  words,  Robert,  who  had  now  come 
to  himself,  recognized  his  deliverer.  He  owed 
his  life  to  M.  de  Chenerailles,  and  this  last  ad- 
*  venture  was  not  the  least  extraordinary  of  all 
which  he  had  experienced  since  he  had  left  the 
the  Hall  of  Assizes. 

"Unfortunately,  I  arrived  too  late  to  prevent 
the  miserable  scoundrels  from  robbing  you," 
continued  the  marquis,  and  they  had  time  to 
get  out  of  the  way.  I  had  just  put  my  Head 
out  of  the  window  to  tell  the  coachman  to 
hurry,  when  I  saw  them  attack  you.  They 
used  what  they  call  the  *  stroke  of  Father 
Francis.'  One  holds  you  on  his  back  and  the 
others  rob  you.'* 

"I  believe  that  they  have  really  left  me 
nothing;  but  I  do  not  complain,  for  they  might 
have  killed  me — and  but  for  you,  sir,  they  cer- 
tainly would.  I  do  not  know  how  to  thank 
you." 

"Thank  me  for  what?  I  have  done  just 
what  you  would  have  done  in  my  place.  J 


70  THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

happened  to  be  passing  through  the  Rue 
Blanche  at  the  moment  when  the  villains  at- 
tacked you.  If  you  owe  gratitude  to  anybody 
it  is  to  my  coachman,  who  took  this  route  in- 
stead of  following  the  outer  boulevard  to  take 
me  to  the  Rue  Galilee  where  I  live.  But  after 
such  a  shock,  you  are  in  no^  condition  for  walk- 
ing, and  you  must  permit  me  to  take  you  home 
in  my  carriage.    Where  do  you  live?'' 

This  was  said  so  naturally  that  Robert  could 
not  refuse,  and  besides  he  had  great  need  of 
aid,  for  he  felt  the  effect  of  his  fall  and  would 
have  found  it  difficult  to  walk  to  the  Avenue 
Percier. 

He  gave  his  address,  and  without  making 
any  apologies,  got  into  M.  de  Cheneraille's 
coupe. 

A  moment  after,  these  gentlemen  were  roll- 
ing along,  seated  side  by  side  as  if  they  were 
a  pair  of  dear  friends. 

When  du  Plessis  had  surprised  the  marquis 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR*  ^\ 

in  conference  with  Fil-de-Soie,  he  did  not  fore- 
see that  a  few  hours  later  he  would  be  riding 
home  in  his  carriage.  Everything  comes  to 
pass. 

And  du  Plessis,  who  generally  went  from 
one  extreme  to  the  other,  no  longer  mis- 
trusted this  gentleman  whom  he  had  suspected 
of  gross  misdemeanors. 

Carried  away  by  an  impulse  of  gratitude  he 
came  very  near  disclosing  all  that  he  had 
thought  of  him,  and  asking  pardon  for  having 
taken  him  to  be  an  associate  of  Fil-de-Soie. 

If  he  did  not  make  this  confession,  it  was 
because  he  was  restrained  by  a  laudable  scru- 
ple; it  would  have  led  them  to  talk  of  the  Court 
of  Assizes,  of  the  upholsterer  and  of  the 
Baroness. 

He  was  reluctant  to  approach  this  subject, 
now  that  he  had  begun  to  believe  in  the  inno- 
cence of  Mme.  de  Noyal. 

He  limited  himself,  therefore,  to  the  expres- 
sion of  the  wish  that  he  might  soon  again  see 


72  THE'  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

his  deliverer,  to  telling  his  own  name,  and  ask- 
ing his,  which  he  was  supposed  not  to  know. 
M.  de  Chenerailles  responded  to  these  over- 
tures by  handing  his  card  to  Robert  and  say- 
ing that  he  would  come  the  next  day  to  hear 
how  he  was.  To  which  du  Plessis  replied  that 
it  was  his  place  to  go  to  thank  him.  This  ex- 
change of  courtesies  made  up  the  conversation 
during  the  journey, which  was  not  a  long  one, 
for  the  marquis'  horse  went  like  the  wind. 

These  gentlemen  seemed  to  be  agreed  not 
to  go  beyond  polite  trifles  and,  no  doubt,  each 
had  his  reasons  for  holdinghimself  on  his  guard. 

When  the  carriage  stopped  in  front  of  Rob- 
ert's house,  the  marquis  alighted  first,  rang  the 
bell  and  carried  his  consideration  so  far  as  to 
offer  his  arm  to  Robert  to  go  up  the  stairs.  But 
as  he  had  no  further  need  of  assistance,  he  re- 
fused this  obliging  offer  and  they  separated 
after  exchanging  a  shake  of  the  hand. 

"  AH  is  well  that  ends  well,"  says  the  proverb. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  73 

and  the  evening  which  had  begun  so  badly, 
could  not  have  ended  better. 

On  entering  his  apartment,  a  comfortable 
entresol,  Robert  experienced  the  satisfaction 
of  a  hunter  who  finds  a  good  lodging  after  the 
emotions  and  fatigues  of  a  long  chase.  His 
servant  was  waiting  for  him.  He  sent  him 
away  and  was  not  long  in  getting  to  bed;  but 
sleep  did  not  come  at  once.  The  scenes 
through  which  he  had  passed  came  back  like  a 
dream.  A  bad  dream  too,  for  they  recalled 
the  memory  of  Jeanne  Cariste  whom  he  had 
loved. 

He  thought  abo  of  his  future  relations  with 
Mme.  de  Noyal.  He  certainly  owed  her  a 
visit,  and  he  resolved  to  tell  her  what  this  juror 
whom  she  did  not  know,  had  done  for  her,  and 
whom  he  now  reproached  himself  for  having 
so  inconsiderately  suspected. 

This  done  he  would  resume  his  accustomed 
course,  and  would  soon  forgets  the  gloomy 
drama,  which,  as  he  believed,  had  closed  with 


74  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

the  acquittal  of  Mmc.  de  Noyal.  He  did  not 
suspect  that  the  drama  was  just  beginning  and 
that  he  should  see  many  others  grow  out  of  this. 


CHAPTER  III. 

Six  months  have  passed. 

The  criminal  trial  which  filled  the  public 
mind  at  the  close  of  the  last  autumn  has  taken 
its  place  among  celebrated  cases,  but  the 
heroine  of  this  ^judicial  drama  is  no  longer 
remembered.  It  is  always  so  in  Paris,  where 
the  present  dominates  everything.  It  is  only 
in  the  provinces  that  they  know  how  to  remem- 
ber. Mme.  de  Noyal  does  not  complain  that 
she  is  forgotten,  and  she  has  done  what  she 
could  to  effect  this.  The  day  after  the  verdict 
she  went  to  Pisa  to  spend  the  winter,  where 
she  only  met  hurried  tourists  and  English  in- 
valids. In  the  spring  she  returned  to  France 
and  secluded  herself  in  her  villa  at  Chatenay 
near  Sceaux,  where  she  now  lives. 

During  her  voluntary  exile  in  Italy  she  gave 
no  sign  of  life  to  any  one  but  Robert  du  Plessis, 
and  the  first  letter  she  wrote  to  him  was  a 


76  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

master-piece.  She  found  the  exact  terms  in 
which  to  declare  her  innocence  and  wrote  that 
she  had  suffered  less  from  the  iniquitous  charge 
than  from  the  frightful  death  of  her  young 
cousin  Jeanne  Caristie. 

Robert  began  by  doubting  the  innocence  of 
the  Baroness,  but  he  was  convinced  of  it  at  the 
end.  This  letter  touched  him  and  he  answered 
it.  The  correspondence  was  continued  and 
since  the  return  of  Mme.  de  Noyal  he  has 
visited  her  assiduously  at  her  country  house 
where  she  receives  no  one  else. 

Robert  thinks  no  more  of  his  first  mistress 
than  he  does  of  the  ancient  Odyssey,  and  the 
chimeras  which  he  conjured  up,  after  these  ad- 
ventures, have  ceased  to  haunt  his  mind. 

He  has  exchanged  one  visit  with  M.  de 
Chenerailles,  but  they  have  formed  no  ties. 
They  salute  when  they  meet  in  the  Bois  or  at 
the  theatre,  but  they  have  never  yet  met  in  any 
parlor  or  club  room. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR,  77 

And  Robert  knows  no  more  of  this  gentle- 
man than  he  knew  on  the  day  whpn  he  made 
his  acquaintance.  He  is  still  limited  to  the 
very  summary  information  of  the  upholsterer 
and  the  artist  Cadornac. 

He  has  never  since  entered  the  Moulin- 
Rouge  and  it  was  not  there  that  he  again  saw 
Fil-de-Soie.  It  was  under  the  colonnade  of 
the  Bourse,  that  he  saw  him  passing  from 
group  to  group  with  note-book  and  pencil  in 
his  hand.  Fil-de-Soie  has  become  a  broker. 
All  roads  lead  to  Rome.  He  does  not  dance 
"  the  guillotine  step  by  persuasion"  any  longer. 
The  Goulue  weeps  for  her  favorite  cavalier. 

When  Robert  sometimes  recalls  the  inci- 
dentswhich  preceded  and  followed  the  informal 
quadrille  one  evening  in  November,  he  con- 
cludes that  he  was  deceived  in  thinking  he  saw 
on  the  Quay  de  1'  Horologe,  M.  de  Chenerailles 
who  came  to  his  rescue  in  so  timely  a  manner 
at  the  corner  of  the  Cite  Gaillard, 


78  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Fii-de-Soie,  too,  does  not  remember  that  he 
sat  beside  him  on  the  imperial  of  the  omnibus, 
for  he  never  looks  at  him  when  he  comes 
across  him  at  the  Bourse,  where  Robert  goes 
every  day. 

Urged  by  his  friend  Raoul  Vignemale,  Robert 
speculates  in  stocks  and  as  he  commenced  by 
making  money,  he  has  acquired  a  taste  for  the 
game,  which  is  infinitely  more  dangerous  than 
baccarat.  But  he  was  caught  in  the  decline, 
which  came  quickly ;  he  loses  every  day  and 
he  has  not  the  resolution  to  stop. 

Then,  in  order  to  console  himself,  or  rather 
to  divert  his  thoughts,  as  soon  as  the  bell  an- 
nounces the  close  of  operations,  Robert  hastens 
to  Ghatenay.  He  finds  no  pleasure  anywhere 
else,  and  instead  of  spending  his  Sundays  at 
the  club  as  formerly,  he  passes  them  all  at 
Chatenay. 

His  friends  wonder  why  he  has  changed  his 
mode  of  life.  Some  believe  that  he  is  ruined ; 
others  suspect  him  of  being  in  love. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR,  79 

They  are  mistaken.  Robert^  is  not  in  love 
yet,  but  it 'is  not  impossible  that  he  may  soon 
be  in  that  condition,  for  he  does  not  perceive 
the  perils  which  threaten  his  heart  and  his 
fortune. 

He  always  hopes  that  the  next  settlement 
will  restore  what  he  has  lost.  The  only  woman 
whom  he  ever  wished  to  marry  is  dead,  and  he 
does  not  dream  of  engaging  himself  to  another 
either  from  a  good  motive  or  a  bad  one. 

He  goes  to  Chatenay  every  day  to  talk  of 
the  one  he  loved.  He  talks  sometimes  of  the 
accusation  which  has  unsettled  the  life  of 
Mme.  de  Noyal ;  but  Jeanne  Caristie's  name  is 
often  spoken  in  their  conversations,  and  the 
Baroness  never  speaks  it  without  her  eyes 
filling  with  tears. 

Robert  has  confessed  to  her  that  he  had  a 
tender  feeling  for  Mile.  Caristie  and  Mme.  de 
Noyal  has  gently  reproached  him  for  not  hav- 
ing declared  himself.  He  has  also  told  her 
about  the  chief  of  the  jury  who  brought  about 


80  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

her  acquittal,  and  without  telling  her  how  he 
became  acquainted  with  him,  he  asked  if  she 
would  like  to  have  him  presented  to  her.  She 
declined  the  proposal  and  seemed  only  moder- 
ately touched  by  the  service  which  M.  de 
Chenerailles  had  rendered  her.  ~ 

Robert  soon  found  that  this  was  not  an 
agreeable  subject  for  the  Baroness  and  did  not 
again  refer  to  it. 

She  prefers  to  hear  him  talk  of  the  fetes 
which  she  used  to  give  in  her  hotel  in  the  Rue 
Murillo,  of  the  cotillions  which  she  led  so 
grandly,  and  of  the  cavalcades  when,  in  fine 
weather,  he  rode  by  her  side  in  the  pretty 
woods  of  Verrieres. 

There  is  no  one  but  him  to  recall  these 
happy  days  to  her,  for  the  people  whom  she 
used  to  entertain  do  not  know  that  she  is  at 
her  villa  of  Chatenay.  Her  old  servants  left 
her  when  she  was  arrested,  and  she  has  taken 
back  only  one  woman— the  woman  who  was 
Jeanne's  governess  and  who  was  a  witness  at 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  8 1 

the  trial.  She  testified,  however,  only  to  insig- 
nificant facts,  for  she  was  not  at  Chatenay  on 
the  day  of  the  crime. 

The  Baroness  brought  a  lady's  maid  and  a 
footman  with  her  from  Italy,  These  know 
nothing  of  the  past,  except  what  they  have 
learned  from  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  of 
Chatenay.  The  cook  came  from  an  intelli- 
gence office  and  the  garden  is  taken  care  of  by 
a  man  who  does  not  lodge  at  the  villa. 

Mme.  de  Noyal  has  all  new  servants  and  she 
is  wise,  since  she  is  going  to  begin  a  new  life. 
Retirement,  silence  and  oblivion  are  necessary 
for  her.  Robert  approves  this  and  Robert  suf- 
fices, if  not  to  console  her,  at  least  to  distract 
her  mind  from  her  troubles.  She  lives  with- 
out any  plans  for  she  knows  that  women  strug- 
gle and  that  God  leads  them. 

Robert,  who  is  as  much  of  a  fatalist  as  she, 
lets  himself  go  with  the  current  of  the  new 
existence  without  asking  whither  it  is  carrying 
them  both. 

6 


CHAPTER  IV. 
They  were  still  at  the  same  point,  when,  on 
the  first  Sunday  of  the  month  of  May,  Robert 
du  Plessis  arrived  at  the  gate  of  Rose  Villa. 
Winter  and  neglect  had  killed  the  rose-bushes, 
but  the  name  remained  in  golden  letters  on 
the  pediment  of  the  door.    Robert  had  walked 
from  the  station  and  the  way  had  seemed 
short.    The  chestnuts  were  about  to  bloom^ 
the  lilacs  were  in  flower,  and  the  birds  were 
singing  in  the  tall  trees.    The  April  settle- 
ment had  not  been  bad  and  Robert,  free  from 
the  cares  which  often  disturbed  him  at  the 
end  of  the  month,  enjoyed  to  the  full  this 
marvelous  spring  day  which  he  intended  to 
spend  with  Mme.  de  Noyal. 

He  did  not  take  the  trouble  to  ring,  for  he 
knew  that  the  porter's  lodge  was  vacant.  He 
pushed  on  the  half-open  gate  and  entering 
'  thought  of  the  time  when  brilliant  equipages 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  83 

brought  the  invited  guests  to  the  chateau. 
Now  there  were  no  liveried  lackeys  to  wait  for 
them  at  the  foot  of  the  perron ;  no  Percheron 
horses  to  bring  them  from  the  station.  The 
Baroness  sold  her  horses  and  carriages,  when 
she  discharged  her  servants.  The  stables  and 
coach-houses  are  empty. 

Mme.  de  Noyal  understands  that  the  Villa 
of  Roses,  stained  by  crime,  cannot  be  opened 
for  fetes  and  Robert  du  Plessis  approves  her 
conduct,  for  it  shows  that  she  has  some  heart 
and  spirit. 

Robert  was  accustomed  to  go  through  the 
gate  without  being  announced,  to  cross  the 
principal  court,  and  to  enter  at  the  ground 
floor  of  the  villa,  where  he  usually  found  some- 
one to  speak  to:  sometimes  the  footman — a 
stiff  and  silent  Englishman — but  oftener  the 
waiting-maid — a  wily  Parisian  whom  the  Bar- 
oness had  engaged  in  Pisa,  wliere  she  had  been 
left  by  a  ruined  prima  donna. 


84  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Today  there  was  no  one  in  the  antechamber, 
Robert  was  on  a  footing,  in  the  house  of  Mme. 
de  Noyal,  that  justified  him  in  entering  unan- 
nounced, and  he  went  on  to  a  small  parlor 
which  was  her  favorite  sitting-room.  She  was 
not  there.  She  knew,  however,  that  he  would 
come,  and  she  never  awaited  him  in  the  gar- 
den, which  recalled  such  lugubrious  memories. 
Where  could  she  be?  Robert  passed  into 
another  room  and  did  not  find  a  single  person. 

"This  is  the  castle  of  the  Sleeping  Beauty," 
he  murmured,  wondering  if  he  should  go  up 
to  the  first  floor. 

A  door,  which  he  had  not  noticed,  was  now 
opened,  and  a  woman  entered  without  any 
noise,  a  woman  dressed  in  black,  who  held  a 
bunch  of  keys  in  her  hand.  He  took  her,  at 
first,  for  a  new  domestic  and  was  about  to  ad- 
dress her  as  such,  when  he  recognized  her. 

It  was  the  companion  who  had  been  with 
Mme.  de  Noyal  for  the  past  two  months,  the 
governess  of  Jeanne  Caristie,  whom  she  had 


THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  85 

never  left  until  the  day  when  the  unfortunate 
-  girl  was  killed  by  the  ball  of  an  assassin.  " 
Robert  had  never  been  alone  with  her,  and 
had  never  seen  her  so  near,  for  before  Jeanne's 
tragic  death,  she  was  very  seldom  seen.  She 
did  not  go  into  society  with  Mme.  de  Noyal 
and  her  cousin,  and  on  every  occasion  she  kept 
.  herself  in  the  background,  affecting  to  dress 
herself  like  a  sister  in  some  poor  convent,  and 
trying  to  look  old, 

Robert  had  not  yet  observed  that  she  was 
much  younger  than  she  wished  to  appear.  To- 
day, for  the  first  time,  he  saw  her  in  a  full  light, 
and  she  looked  at  him  without  lowering  her 
eyes;  eyes  that  were  deep,  clear  and  sparkling, 
eyes  that  would  make  one  forget  the  most  se- 
vere ugliness. 

Ugly  she  was  not,  although  her  skin  lacked 
freshness.  Her  hair  was  of  that  color  which  was 
so  dear  to  the  great  Venetian  painters  of  the 
sixteenth  century,  almost  red  with  golden 


86        "         THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

reflections.    Her  prominent  chin  indicated  an 
iron  will. 

Robert  did  not  comprehend  why  he  had 
never  before  observed  this  characteristic  face, 
and  he  asked  himself:  Whom  does  she  resem- 
ble?" 

For  she  positively  resembled  some  one  whom 
he  knew.  He  was  sure  of  it.  But  whom?  It 
was  not  the  Baroness,  who  was  a  blonde  with  a 
complexion  of  lily  and  rose;  still  less  the  poor 
dead  girl,  who  had  the  pure  features  and  sweet 
look  of  a  Madonna  of  Raphael.  The  outline, 
and  above  all,  the  expression  of  the  face  re- 
called a  remembrance  which  he  could  not  suc- 
ceed in  fixing  precisely. 

He  saluted  her  politely  and  was  about  to  ask 
her  where  he  could  find  Mme.  de  Noyal. 

She  had  evidently  anticipated  the  question, 
for  she  said: 

"Angclique  is  out  on  the  Versailles  road.'' 

This  familiarity  of  language  did  not  shock 
Robert,  for  he  remembered  to  have  heard  her 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR..  8/ 

call  tlie  Baroness  by  her  first  name,  having 
known  her  when  she  was  quite  young. 

She  added:  "That  is  the  road  to  the  ceme- 
tery of  Chatenay.  Angelique  goes  there  very 
often  to  put  flowers  on  the  tomb  of  the  friend 
whom  we  have  lost.  You  knew  it,  did  you  not?" 

"  No,"  stammered  Robert,  affected  and  a  little 
surprised.   "Mme.  de  Noyal  has  nevertold  me." 

"She  was  afraid  of  making  you  sad.  She 
will  be  back  soon  by  the  little  gate  at  the  end 
of  the  park.  If  you  take  the  path  which  runs 
around  the  lake,  you  can  not  fail  to  meet  her. 
She  will  be  very  happy  to  see  you." 

Robert  did  not  take  his  eyes  from  the 
woman  while  she  was  talking,  and  she  not 
only  did  not  seem  to  be  astonished  to  be  gazed 
at  in  that  way,  but  to  be  pleased  with  it.  Her 
eyes  seemed  to  be  saying:  "How  do  you  like 
me?"  And  there  was  a  satisfied  smile  on  her 
sensual  lips,  as  if  she  were  thinking,  "  Have  you 
never  before  perceived  that  I  am  a  woman 
also?" 


88  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

It  was  he  who  put  an  end  to  this  mutual  ex- 
amination. 

"  I  thank  you,  madame,  for  telling  me,"  he 
said,  turning  towards  a  French  window  which 
opened  into  the  garden,    and  I  am  going.'*  

"Not  madame,  if  you  please,"  interrupted  the 
cx-governess.  I  am  a  single  woman,  that  is 
ridiculous  at  my  age— Angelique  has  been  mar- 
ried ten  years,  and  I  am  six  years  older  than 
she— but  I  am  not  complaining  of  my  fate — 
she  has  suffered  more  than  I  have." 

Robert  was  almost  tempted  to  respond  by  a 
compliment,  which  she,  perhaps,  was  expecting. 
He  contented  himself,  however,  with  bowing 
an  expression  of  his  sympathetic  approbation, 
and  the  demoiselle  continued: 

"I  know  it,  for  I  have  been  with  her  ever  since 
her  widowhood,  and  I  hope  I  may  never  have 
to  leave  her;  for  if  she  takes  my  advice  she  will 
never  marry  again." 

"She  is  very  young  to  remain  a  widow  always," 
said  Robert,  smiling,  very  much  astonished  at 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  89 

words  SO  much  out  of  place  in  the  mouth  of  a 
person,  who,  although  not  to  be  confounded 
with  the  servants,  was  still  in  the  service  of  the 
Baroness,  and  who  coolly  replied: 

"  Angelique  is  free  to  bind  herself  again,  and 
I  am  free  to  separate  from  her  if  she  should 
do  so  foolish  a  thing." 

Robert  had  a  great  desire  to  say:  "You  do 
not  need  to  keep  your  place  then,"  but  he  was 
afraid  of  wounding  her  self-esteem  and  he  cut 
short  the  tete-a-tete  by  taking  leave  of  her 
with  as  much  ceremony  as  if  she  had  been  the 
chatelaine  of  Rose  Villa/  He  went  down  into 
the  garden  and,  ih  going  along  the  path  which 
she  had  indicated,  he  felt  that  she  was  follow- 
ing him  with  her  eyes,  but  he  was  careful  not 
to  look  around  to  assure  himself. 

He  distrusted  this  woman  without  knowing 
why.  He  had  never  noticed  her  before  the 
death  of  Jeanne  Caristie,  for  he  had  seldom 
seen  her.  Now  she  seemed  to  have  renounced 
the  part  she  had  played  so  long  in  the  house  of 


go       -  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Mme.  de  Noyal,  The  caterpillar  had  become 
a  butterfly  and  had  opened  its  wings,  not  yet 
in  the  broad  sunlight,  but  in  the  semi-darkness 
of  the  twilight,  as  was  suitable  to  the  modest 
.position  which  she  occupied  at  the  chateau. 

She  had  made  a  singular  impression  upon  him, 
and  everything  about  her  was  strange,  even  to 
the  sound  of  her  voice  which  was  grave  and 
sonorous,  with  occasional  caressing  inflections. 

She  did  not  please  him,  but  she  excited  his 
curiosity  like  an  enigma  which  he  would  like 
to  solve.  And  he  could  not  get  rid  of  the 
idea  that  she  resembled  some  one  whom  he 
knew. 

The  garden  which  he  had  to  cross  in  order 
to  meet  Mme.  de  Noyal  was  almost  a  park,  for 
in  the  space  inclosed  by  the  walls  were  long 
lawns  separated  by  numerous  clusters  of  full- 
grown  trees. 

There  was  an  artificial  stream  and  a  small 
lake,  limpid  and  deep,  whose  steep  banks  were 
shaded  by  enormous  willows. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR,  QI 

Robei  t  du  Plessis  was  familiar  with  this  park 
for  he  had  been  through  it  more  than  once 
when  Mme.  de  Noyal  gave  her  fetes.  Since 
her  return  she  very  rarely  walked  out,  and 
when  she  did  walk  with  him  she  kept  near  to 
the  chateau.  He  continued  to  follow  the  paths 
indicated  by  the  companion  and,  at  last,  at  the 
end  of  a  badly  kept  path,  he  perceived  the 
small  door  that  he  was  looking  for. 

It  was  almost  concealed  by  the  stems  of  an 
ivy  which  covered  the  walls  of  the  inclosure, 
which  was  cut  near  there  by  a  grating  through 
which  the  guests  at  the  villa  could  see  the  pe- 
destrians and  carriages  on  the  road  from 
Choisy-le-Roi  to  Versailles,  which  was  always 
much  frequented,  especially  on  Sundays.  In- 
side, on  a  mound  of  grass  which  commanded 
this  grated  opening,  was  a  bench  which  had 
been  placed  there  for  the  use  of  those  who 
wished  to  rest,  while  amusing  themselves  with 
the  gratuitous  spectacle  of  the  people  out 
for  a  holiday. 


92  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Robert  had  no  thought  of  indulging  in  this 
diversion  so  highly  appreciated  by  the  Parisian. 
He  longed  to  find  Mme.  de  Noyal,  first,  for  the 
pleasure  of  seeing  her,  and  also  because  he 
wished  to  talk  with  her  about  this  woman  whose 
name  even  he  did  not  know. 

He  was  not  very  far  from  the  ivy-wreathed 
door,  when,  having  arrived  at  the  end  of  a 
hedge  which  bordered  the  path,  he  saw  Mme. 
de  Noyal  within  ten  steps  of  him — she  was 
sitting  on  a  two-seated  bench  which  had  been 
placed  there  for  the  convenience  of  guests. 

She  had  not  stopped  there  to  watch  the 
passers-by,  for  her  back  was  turned  toward  the 
road,  but  her  head  was  bent  so  that  Robert 
only  recognized  her  by  her  form  and  the  mourn- 
ing which  she  had  worn  since  the  death  of  her 
cousin. 

She  raised  her  head  at  the  sound  of  his  steps 
and  was  about  to  rise  to  meet  him  but  he  pre- 
vented her, 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  93 

I  have  come  to  find  you/'  he  said,  taking  a 
seat  beside  her. 

"  You  could  not  have  expected  to  find  me 
here,  however,"  murmured  the  Baroness,  visi- 
bly annoyed  at  having  been  surprised. 

**No — but  I  knew  where  you  had  gone.*' 
How  did  you  know  it  ?  " 

"Your  servants  were  not  in  when  I  arrived. 
I  permitted  myself  to  enter,  and  in  the  little 
parlor  where  you  usually  receive  me,  I  met — a 
lady—." 

"Severine?" 

"Ah!"  cried  Robert  gaily,  "that  is  the  name 
which  I  did  not  remember  any  better  than  I 
did  the  person  who  bears  it.  I  do  not  know 
why  I  had  forgotten  it." 

"The  name  or  the  person?"  asked  Mme.  de 
Noyal  quickly. 

"Oh!  the  person.  I  recollected  that  I  had 
seen  her  at  your  house,  but  the  name  had  en- 
tirely escaped  from  my  memory — although  if 
is  not  a  common  one." 


94  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

"That  is  not  exactly  her  name.  She  is  really 
named  Severe." 

"Then  she  is  very  well  named,  for  she  does 
not  seem  to  be  very  sweet." 

"It  is  the  name  of  a  saint  who  is  very  much 
venerated  in  Berry,  where  Mile.  Dahun  was 
born." 

"  Really,  she  is  a  demoiselle  then,"  said  Rob- 
ert laughing.  '*It  is  the  fate  of  governesses 
to  be  old  maids." 

"She  is  not  a  governess  any  longer,  and  it  is 
her  own  fault  if  she  is  not  married,  for  she  has 
money." 

"Really?  Why  has  she  waited  so  long 
then?" 

"  Because  she  has  not  always  been  rich.  But 
I  do  not  believe  she  has  taken  a  vow  to  remain 
single,  and  she  could  find  a  husband  without 
any  trouble." 

"That  is  the  blessing  I  should  wish  for  her. 
Has  she  inherited  a  fortune?" 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  95 

Not  that  I  know  of.  She  has  saved  money 
from  her  salary,  and  in  fifteen  years  she  has 
had  time  to  put  by  enough  to  make  quite  a 
dowry.  But  I  presume  that  you  have  not 
come  here  to  talk  about  her/'  said  Mme.  de 
Noyal,  dryly. 

Certainly  not!"  cried  Robert.  I  pray  you 
to  believe  that  Mile.  Severne's  history  interests 
me  very  little  indeed.  I  have  come,  as  always, 
to  see  you  only,  and  I  promise  myself  the  plea- 
sure of  passing  some  hours  in  your  society." 

"I  have  nothing  more  agreeable  to  tell  you 
than  that,  very  probably,  I  shall  shorten  my 
stay  at  Chatenay." 

**Do  you  think  of  going  back  to  Paris?  I 
should  be  delighted,  for— ' 

I  shall  never  live  in  Paris  again;  I  think  of 
leaving  France  forever." 

Expatriate  yourself !  I  could  have  under- 
stood that  six  months  ago — your  journey  to 
Italy  was  easily  explained— but  now  that  that 


96  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

unfortunate  trial  is  forgotten,  why  do  you  not 
remain  here?  " 

Because  it  is  not  living  to  live  as  I  do- 
alone  in  the  memory  of  the  awful  crime  which 
was  committed  before  my  very  eyes.  You 
have  not  abandoned  me,  and  I  am  grateful  to 
you,  but  my  situation  is  intolerable,  for  it  is 
horribly  false— even  in  relation  to  you/* 

"  In  what  way,  I  pray?" 

**You  are  only  my  friend,  and  neither  you 
nor  I  are  at  an  age  when  a  man  can  remain  the 
friend  of  a  woman  without  the  world's  finding 
fault  with  it." 

**The^orld  does  not  think  anything  about 
us — and  even  if  it  should—" 

**You  are  not  afraid  to  brave  it.  I  have  not 
the  courage,  and  I  am  not  strong  enough  to 
endure  humiliation  any  longer." 

What  do  you  mean  ?  Humiliation  ?  How?" 
I  endure  it  every  day." 

**From  whom?    You  see  no  one  but  me,  and 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  97 

I  suppose  that  your  servants  do  not  pre- 
sume— 

**No,  not  yet— but  the  people  whom  I  meet 
when  I  go  out  make  me  feel  cruelly  that 
nothing  ever  effaces  the  stain  of  an  accusation, 
even  though  it  be  an  unjust  one.  Some  per- 
sons  go  out  of  their  way  to  avoid  me:  others, 
tradesmen  whom  I  have  enriched,  salute  me 
with  an  ironical  affectation,  and  just  now  I 
was  insulted,  not  far  from  here— some  rascals, 
whom  I  had  never  seen,  sneered  as  they  spoke 
my  name." 

How  did  they  know  it?    You  must  be  mis- 
taken." 

No,  I  heard  it  plainly— there!  they  are  be- 
ginning again.  Listen!" 

"They  are  singing,"  said  Robert,  as  he  heard 
some  words  bawled  to  a  silly  air,  from  the 
other  side  of  the  Park  wall. 

He  recognized  an  old  song  of  the  concert- 
saloon  which  began  thus : 

In  the  rue  Lique-Liquetowne  " 
There  lives  a  grocer—'* 

1 


gS  -THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

It  was  stupid  but  not  malicious,  and  it  was 
impossible  to  find  anything  insulting  in  it— not 
even  an  allusion  to  Mme.  de  Noyal. 

"It  is  a  band  of  students  or  clerks  out  for  a 
holiday,"  said  du  Plessis  who  thought  the  sensi- 
tiveness of  the  chatelaine  a  little  ridiculous. 

The  two  idiotic  lines  were  repeated  in  chorus, 
and  the  soloist  took  up  the  next  two  lines: 
"Who  has  a  daughter  Angelique 
Lique-Lique  to  marry  off." 
This  time  it  was  the  christian  name  of  Mme. 
de  Noyal  which  came  from  the  drunken  mouth 
of  this  virtuoso  of  the  highway,  but  surely  it 
was  not  addressed  to  her.    Robert  said  this  to 
her  and  she  replied  dryly. 

"I  am  sure  the  song  is  addressed  to  me,  and 
they  have  chosen  it  expressly  to  insult  me. 
Do  you  hear  the  refrain  ?" 

It  sounded  like  a  fanfare  as  it  was  bellowed 
out  by  the  same  brazen  voice : 

"I  wish  my  daughter  to  be  a  Baroness— 
Or  a  danseuse— that  is  my  tic" 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  gg 

and  the  singer  forced  the  note  on  the  word 
baroness. 

Was  there  any  design  in  this?  Robert  did 
not  think  so,  but  he  was  angry  that  some 
drunken  men  should  take  the  liberty  to  give  a 
serenade,  which  resembled  a  charivari,  to  the 
proprietress  of  the  villa,  and  he  rose  to  go  and 
put  a  stop  to  it. 

The  Baroness  had  already  risen  and  was  at 
some  distance  from  the  bench,  when  the  sing- 
ers, who  had  been  hidden  by  the  wall,  appeared 
in  front  of  the  grating. 

There  were  six  or  seven  of  them,  of  whom 
three  were  women,  in  the  loud  toilettes  of  the 
Latin  quarter.  The  men,  who  were  quite 
young  and  more  correctly  dressed  than  their 
companions,  were  getting  ready  to  go  on  with 
the  concert. 

Robert  who  had  gone  to  order  them  away, 
was  not  a  little  surprised  to  see  that  the  leader 
of  this  jolly  and  noisy  troupe— recognizable  by 
his  cane,  which  he  held  at  arm's  length  like  the 


100  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

leader  of  an  orchestra— was  Fil-de-Soie.  Fil- 
de-Soie  in  a  new  phase— dressed  in  the  latest 
fashion  of  the  society  in  which  he  had  lived 
since  his  metamorphosis,  and  so  changed  that 
his  friends  of  the  Moulin-Rouge,  would  have 
taken  him  for  a  solid  man,  perhaps. 

Robert,  who  saw  him  every  day  under  the 
colonnade  of  the  Bourse,  could  not  be  mis- 
taken, and  he  was  just  opening  his  mouth  to 
interrupt  him  sharply,  when  Fil-de-Soie,  in- 
stead of  giving  the  signal  for  a  renewal  of  the 
song,  ordered:  *^File  to  the  left!  forward, 
march!"  executed  a  twirl  with  his  cane  like  a 
veritable  drum-major,  and  put  himself  at  the 
head  of  the  column  which  followed  him  closely 
one  behind  the  other. 

These  rural  monomaniacs  filed  the  length  of 
the  wall  and  disappeared,  to  the  great  aston- 
ishment of  Robert  du  Plessis  who  had  ex- 
pected to  have  a  quarrel  with  the  black-guards. 
It  was  inexplicable,  but  Robert  did  not  amuse 
himself  in  trying  to  find  out  why  they  took 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  loi 

flight  as  soon  as  he  showed  himself.  He  hast- 
ened to  rejoin  Mme.  de  Noyal  that  he  might 
reassure  her,  and  it  did  not  take  him  long  to 
overtake  her,  for  she  had  walked  slowly. 

"Well !"  said  he  gaily,  "we  are  rid  of  them. 
They  were  easily  managed,  for  they  decamped 
as  soon  as  they  saw  me." 

"They  will  return,"  said  the  Baroness,  "or 
some  others  will  come.  It  is  an  organized 
persecution  to  force  me  to  leave  the  country 
and  I  have  decided  to  do  it." 

"What!  you  will  leave  this  charming  villa 
because  you  hear  some  drunken  fellows  sing- 
ing on  a  public  road !  That  is  one  of  the  in- 
conveniences of  proximity  to  Paris,  and  there 
is  no  proof  that  these  brawlers  wished  to  annoy 
you." 

"There  is  no  proof, I  know,  but  I  feel  sure  of 
it." 

"Do  you  suppose  that  they  are  hired  to 
frighten  you?" 
"I  am  convinced  of  it." 


102  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

**Good  God,  by  whom?" 
**By  my  enemies." 
**Have  you  any  enemies?" 
'*Do  you  doubt  it?" 

*'No,  not  since  you  say  so— but  I  also  know 
that  you  have  a  friend  to  protect  you." 

"Are  you  the  friend?" 
You  know  it  perfectly  well." 

"Yes,  you  have  proved,  by  coming  to  visit 
me  in  my  solitude,  that  you  are  not  among 
those  who  persist  in  accusing  me  of  an  infa- 
mous crime." 

"They  would  not  dare  to  accuse  you  in  my 
presence.    If  any  one  should  dare  to  do  so — " 

"What  would  you  do?" 

"I  would  shoot  him,"  said  du  Plessis, 
simply." 

"By  what  right?  you  are  neither  my  husband 
nor  my  brother." 

"By  the  right  of  a  gallant  man  to  protect  a 
woman  from  insult." 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  IO3 

'*And  you  would  fight  a  duel  to  prove  that 
I  am  innocent !  You  see  that  I  shall  have  to 
go  away — if  only  to  prevent  you  from  risking 
your  life — I  do  not  wish  to  bring  misfortune 
upon  all  who  love  me.  When  I  shall  be  far 
away  from  France  I  shall  no  longer  be  talked 
about — and  you  will  forget  me/' 

"  I  forget  you !  I  would  like  to,  but  I  can- 
not, and  if  you  are  resolved  to  exile  your- 
self-— " 

**Well?" 

"I  will  follow  you." 

"Would  you  leave  Paris?" 

"Yes,  for  all  the  good  it  is  to  me." 

"If  I  should  presume  to  take  you  at  your 
word,  it  would  not  be  long  before  you  would 
repent  of  a  folly  which  would  cause  your  un- 
happiness-^and  mine." 

"Yours?   You  have  a  sad  opinion  of  me." 

*'0n  the  contrary,  I  think  well  of  you.  I 
think  you  are  quite  capable  of  an  impulsive 
act  and  even  an 'inconsiderate  one — but  I  do 


104  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

not  wish  to  put  your  constancy  to  the  proof/' 

**And  if  I  should  tell  you  that  I  love  you," 
cried  Robert  carried  away  by  the  situation. 

"I  should  ask  you  since  when?"  replied  the 
Baroness  ironically. 

Ever  since  I  knew  you." 
I  should  not  believe  you,  for  you  began  by 
lying — you  knew  me  when  you  fell  in  love 
with  Jeanne." 

"That  is  true — I  have  told  you  so— she 
pleased  me  very  much,  and  for  a  moment,  I 
dreamed  of  marrying  her— but  I  believe  that 
she  did  not  care  for  me.'' 

''You  are  mistaken.    She  loved  you." 

''What!  did  she  tell  you  so?" 

"No,  she  did  not  tell  me,  but  three  days  be- 
fore her  death  she  told  Severine,  who  unfortu- 
nately kept  the  secret." 

"Why,  unfortunately?" 

"Because  if  Severine  had  confided  in  me,  1 
would  not  have  concealed  it  from  you,  and  you 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  IO5 

would  have  married.  She  loved  you  very 
much — and  it  was  the  cause  of  her  death.'' 

**How?    What  had  that  to  do  with  it?" 

**Did  you  never  wonder  who  killed  her? 
Has  it  never  occurred  to  you  that  this  murder 
was  caused  by  passion?" 

Perhaps,  but  what  passion  could  have 
urged  the  assassin?" 

**The  most  violent  of  all  passions— jealousy." 

Robert  was  not  expecting  this  reply.  The 
prosecution  had  not  dared,  from  lack  of  proof, 
to  assert  that  the  accused  was  jealous  of  her 
cousin,  but  had  allowed  it  to  be  inferred ;  and 
Mme.de  Noyal  who  had  energetically  protested 
against  this  supposition,  now  declared  that 
jealousy  had  been  the  motive  of  the  crime. 

"Yes,  jealousy,"  she  persisted.  *7eanne 
was  killed  by  a  man  who  was  persecuting  her 
by  his  declarations  of  iove,  and  she  refused  to 
listen  to  him." 

"You  knew  that,  and  you  did  not  speak!" 


I06  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

**I  did  not  know  it  when  I  was  arrested — 
and  if  I  had  known  it,  I  would  not  have  told  it 
for  I  should  have  been  obliged  to  tell,  that  al- 
though Jeanne  avoided  him,  she  did  not 
denounce  him,  either  to  me  or  to  her  gover- 
ness. Some  persons  who  were  not  called  to 
testify,  had  seen  him  wandering  around  the 
villa,  and  after  the  crime,  he  was  never  seen  in 
the  country  again.  Severine  does  not  doubt 
that  he  murdered  her  because  she  had  told 
him  that  he  must  cease  his  persecutions." 

•*We  must  believe  then  that  she  permitted 
him  to  speak  to  her,  when  he  met  her  alone?" 

**Alas!  yes,and  that  is  the  reason  why,  even 
if  I  had  known  all  this  at  that  time,  I  would 
not,  to  save  my  own  life,  have  permitted  a 
shadow  of  suspicion  to  fall  on  the  conduct  of 
our  dear,  dead  girl.  She  was  only  imprudent, 
and  she  has  paid  for  it  with  her  life." 

These  tardy  confidences  surprised  Robert 
very  much,  but  he  believed  them  to  be  sincere, 
and  the  sentiments  expressed  by  Mme.  de 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  10/ 

Noyal  touched  him  deeply.  He  pitied  her  and 
he  admired  her. 

They  were  walking,  side  by  side,  along  a 
path  bordered  on  the  left  by  a  thick  hedge. 

Suddenly,  Mme.  de  Noyal  stopped  and 
Robert  saw  that  she  was  trembling. 

"What  is  the  matter,  madame?''  he  asked 
hastening  to  support  her. 

"This  is  the  place,"  she  murmured. 
Robert  understood  that  they  had  reached 
the  place  where  the  crime  was  committed  and 
for  a  moment  he  was  greatly  affected. 

The  Baroness,  leaning  on  his  arm,  continued 
in  an  unsteady  voice : 

"Pardon  my  weakness — I  can  never  pass 
this  fatal  spot  without  my  heart  failing — but  I 
do  not  regret  coming  this  , way  with  you,  for 
you  can  realize  the  horrible  scene.  I  was  walk- 
ing at  the  right  of  Jeanne,  who  almost  touched 
this  hedge— it  was  growing  late  and  we  were 
intending  to  return  to  the  house  after  going 
around  the  lake.    Jeanne  was  very  gay.  She 


I08  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

was  talking  of  you,  and  I  have  since  thought 
that  she  was  going  to  confess  that  she  loved 
you  when  she  was  struck — I  saw  a  flame — I 
heard  a  report — Jeanne  fell  without  a  cry — and 
then — I  was  a  coward — I  ran  away." 

"You  are  quite  excusable  for  having  lost 
your  presence  of  mind." 

"No!  I  ought  to  have  helped  Jeanne,  and  I 
left  her  and  ran  away  from  the  assassin." 

"That  was  very  fortunate!  If  you  had  pur- 
sued him  he  would  have  killed  you." 

"Ah  well!  I  should  not  have  suffered  the 
shame  of  being  accused — ^judged— and  acquit- 
ted by  miracle.  I  live,  but  my  life  is  broken— 
I  would  rather  have  died." 

"  Do  not  talk  so,  I  beg  of  you.  You  have 
suffered  cruelly,  but  the  future  remains  to 
you." 

"The  future  !  It  will  not  bring  forgetfulness, 
it  will  only  bring  isolation  and  neglect.  * 

"No,  for  I  am  yours— you  know  it  well — 
yourr  forever." 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  ICQ 

**Do  you  mean  that  you  will  follow  me  if  I 
leave  Prance?" 

"I  have  already  said  so,  ana  I  will  not  un- 
say it." 

"That  would  be  a  sacrifice  on  your  part 
which  I  would  not  accept." 

"A  sacrifice  which  would  cost  me  very  little, 
for  I  am  tired  of  the  life  I  am  leading  in  Paris. 
It  would  cost  me  very  much  more  to  give  up 
seeing  you,  and  if  you  allow  me  to  accompany 
you,  I  shall  only  ask  time  enough  to  arrange 
my  affairs,  which,  I  confess,  are  in  a  some- 
what embarrassed  condition." 

"They  are,  perhaps,  less  so  than  mine,"  said 
Mme.  de  Noyal  sadly  shaking  her  head. 

This  response  surprised  Robert.  He  had 
supposed  the  Baroness  to  be  very  rich.  This, 
indeed,  was  one  of  the  reasons  which  had  pre- 
vented him  from  aspiring  to  her  hand — for  he 
was  not  a  fortune-hunter. 

"Yes,"  she  continued,  "I  have  for  a  long 
^ime,  spent  without  any  calculation,  and  while 


110  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

others  have  grown  rich  at  my  expense,  I  am 
impoverished.  But  it  does  not  matter.  When 
I  have  sold  my  property,  I  shall  have  enough 
to  live  on  abroad." 

"So  shall  I,  I  hope,  when  I  have  settled  my 
operations  at  the  Bourse." 

"Then  you  are  serious  when  you  offer  to 
exile  yourself  with  me?" 

"Very  serious  indeed,  I  swear  it  to  you." 

Robert  had  no  sooner  pronounced  this  oath, 
than  the  Baroness  disengaged  herself  from 
him  and  turned  to  look  over  the  hedge. 

"What  is  there?"  he  asked. 

"Nothing,"  she  said  after  a  short  silence; 
"I  thought  I  heard  some  one  walking  behind 
the  hedge — I  was  mistaken — I  am  nervous.  I 
have  grown  very  timid  since  I  saw  my  unhappy 
cousin  fall  at  my  feet  and  I  tremble  at  the 
slightest  sound." 

"I  understand  that.  Would  you  like  me  to 
go  to  the  end  of  the  green  walk  to  assure  my- 
self that  it  does  not  conceal  some  one?" 


THE^  ^lYSTERIOUS    JUROR.  Ill 

**  No,  it  is  unnecessary.  When  I  came  in  I 
was  careful  to  double-lock  the  door." 

"  Was  it  open  on  the  day  the  assassin  slipped 
in?" 

"No,  I  have  always  thought  that  he  came  in 
through  the  large  gate." 

**With  the  connivance  of  your  servants, 
perhaps?" 

"  Or  by  taking  advantage  of  their  negligence. 
I  was  very  badly  served,  and  it  is  not  much 
better  now.  But  let  us  not  talk  of  that  any 
more  and  come  back  to  my  projects  of  depart- 
ure. My  resolve  is  irrevocable,  and  you  have 
just  sworn  that  you  are  decided  to  go  with  me 
—I  would  like  very  much  to  believe  this  oath 
— which»  I  did  not  ask  of  you — you  will  keep 
it,  but,  after?" 

'How,  after?" 

Yes,  to  what  will  our  voluntary  exile  lead 
us?" 

Robert,  embarrassed  by  this  question  thus 
thrust  into  his  face,  only  responded  by  an 


112  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

equivocal  smile,  and  the  Baroness,  coldly  con- 
tinued. 

"You  spoke  to  me  just  now  of  the  future — 
have  you  ever  asked  yourself  what  it  would 
be  for  me  if  we  were — why  should  I  not  call 
things  by  their  right  names? — if  you  were  my 
lover  and  I  your  mistress?'* 

"  I  should  consider  myself  too  happy,"  mur- 
mured du  Plessis,  a  little  foolishly. 

**I  should  be  the  most  unhappy  of  women," 
replied  Mme.  de  Noyal  quickly,  *'for  after  the 
unmerited  fall  which  I  have  experienced,  I 
will  never  resign  myself  to  being  put  aside  by 
the  world  in  which  I  have  always  lived,  and 
my  only  chance  of  re-entering  it  with  my  head 
up  is  to  meet  an  honest  man  who  loves  me 
enough  to  marry  me." 

The  boot  was  small,  but  he  would  have  had 
trouble  to  evade  putting  it  on.  He  did  not 
even  dream  of  doing  so. 

In  coming  to  pass  Sundays  at  Rose  Villa, 
Robert  had  certainly  not  foreseen  that  the 


THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  IIj 

Baroness  whom  he  liked  very  much,  would 
suddenly  raise  the  grave  question  of  marriage; 
and  if  he  had,  he  very  probably  would  have 
prepared  to  defend  himself,  but  like  a  jockey  at 
a  steeple-chase,  who  finds  himself  suddenly 
confronted  by  an  obstacle  not  down  on  the 
programme,  he  had  nothing  else  to  do  but  to 
leap,  under  penalty  of  being  unhorsed  by  stop- 
ping his  horse  too  suddenly. 

He  did  not  hesitate  to  leap  the  ditch  at  the 
risk  of  his  future  happiness  and  present  inde- 
pendence. 

"  Well,  it  depends  only  on  you.  I  flatter 
myself  that  I  am  the  man  you  are  seeking.  If 
you  wish,^we  will  start  in  a  fortnight;  we  will 
be  married  at  Venice,  and  when  we  return  to 
Paris  I  shall  have  the  right  to  protect  you 
against  everybody." 

This  was  said  so  simply  that  Mme.  de  Noyal, 
excited  almost  to  tears,  scarcely  had  the 
strength  to  murmur: 

You  are  a  noble  man." 


114  ™^  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

"Then  you  accept,"  replied  Robert  gaily. 
kisMng  her  hand.  "  Good,  we  are  engaged- 
we  have  nothing  more  to  do  but—" 

A  noise  oi  crushed  leaves  interrupted  his 
words,  and  the  Baroness,  quite  pale,  pressed 
timidly  against  him. 

There  was  some  one  behind  the  hedge  listen- 
ing to  them. 

"  Decidedly,  I  believe  this  time  that  there  is 
some  one  watching  us.  I  will  be  sure  of  it," 
cried  Robert,  seizing  the  branches  of  the  hedge 
in  order  to  separate  them. 

The  song  of  a  bird  arrested  him.  A  black- 
bird flew  away  with  a  great  rustling  of  wings 
and  a  burst  of  song. 

Robert  laughed  aloud,  and  the  Baroness  was 

satisfied. 

The  talk,  which  had  been  so  serious  in  the 
beginning,  was  growing  tender, when  Mme.  de 
Noyal  saw  her  footman  coming  toward  her  with 
a  folded  paper  in  his  hand. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  II5 

'*A  little  blue  {petit  bleu)  for  you,"  said 
Robert. 

"I  am  not  expecting  one  from  anybody/' 
said  the  Baroness,  a  little  anxiously. 

It  was  really  a  dispatch,  but  instead  of 
handing  it  to  Mme.  de  Noyal,  the  servant  hast- 
ened to  give  it  to  M.  du  Plessis,  and  immedi- 
ately took  his  way  back  to  the  villa.  Robert, 
who  was  surprised  at  receiving  a  telegram  at 
Chatenay,  examined  it  and  did  not  hurry  to 
open  it. 

"Read  it,  my  friend,'*  said  the  Baroness 
gently.  suppose  that  my  presence  does  not 
disturb  you." 

''Not  at  all.  I  can  not  guess  who  knows  of 
my  being  here,  but  I  have  no  secrets  from  you." 
And  he  tore  open  the  blue  envelope. 

*'Is  there  bad  news  ?"  asked  Mme.  de  Noyal, 
seeing  that  he  frowned. 

''I  do  not  know;  it  is  not  at  all  clear,"  re- 
sponded Robert  with  ill-humor.  '*  Listen,  and 
tell  me  if  you  understand  this  negro  jargon:" 


Il6  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

''Hasten)  dare,  dare.  Wait  you  statio7i,  five 
o'clock.  Sure  not  miss  train.  If  missed,  we  go 
tipr 

Itwascorrectly  addressed,    Robert  du  Pies- 
sis,  care  Mme.  the  Baroness  de  Noyal,  Rose 
Villa,  Chatenay." 

There  is  nothing  intelligible  in  this  non- 
sensical dispatch,  but  the  address  and  the  sig- 
nature: **Raoul  Vignemale/* 

**He  is  one  of  your  friends,  I  believe?" 
asked  the  Baroness. 

"Yes,  you  are  not  acquainted  with  him,  but 
I  must  have  spoken  to  you  about  him." 

**You  told  him  then  that  you  were  going  to 
spend  the  day  with  me?" 

''  No,  and  I  cannot  imagine  how  he  found  it 

out." 

**That  is  strange,  to  be  sure,  but  why  does  he 
recall  you  to  Paris  in  such  haste?" 

♦*The  deuce  if  I  know!" 

*'He  says  that  if  you  miss  the  train  you  will 
go  up.    What  does  he  mean  by  those  words?" 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  117 

"It  is  all  Hebrew  to  me." 
"  Did  you  not  say  that  this  gentleman  has 
done  some  business  with  you?" 

"Yes,  and  what  I  have  done  with  him  has 
not  been  successful." 

"It  seems  to  me  that  in  the  argot  which  they 
speak  at  the  Exchange,  up  means  to  lose  all 
one's  money." 

"Perfectly!  but  just  now  I  have  nothing  to 
fear,  for  I  settled  day  before  yesterday,  unless 
Vignemale  has  involved  me  in  some  new  opera- 
tion without  letting  me  know." 

"Whatever  it  may  be,  you  can  not  rest  in 
uncertainty.  Go,  my  friend!  go  at  once!  the 
train  leaves  Sceaux  at  thirty-four  minutes  past 
four— you  have  no  time  to  lose." 

"To  the  devil,  with  Vignemale  and  business! 
I  came  to  Chatenay  to  see  you.  I  am  here  and 
I  am  going  to  stay  here." 

"  I  beg  of  you  to  go.  I  should  reproach  my- 
self all  my  life,  if  by  keeping  you  here,  I  should 


Il8  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

be  the  cause  of  a  disaster  which  might  com- 
promise your  fortune— and  if  you  staid  in  spite 
of  my  prayer,  I  should  be  so  worried  that  I 
should  nut  talk  of  anything  else— we  should 
pass  a  very  gloomy  day— it  would  be  a  hun- 
dred times  better  for  you  to  come  back  to- 
morrow, when  you  have  seen  your  friend  and 
prevented  the  catastrophe  which  threatens 
you.'' 

Robert  began  to  think  this  would  be  wiser. 
He  did  not  suspect  Vignemale's  honesty;  he 
believed  him  incapable  of  using  his  name  in 
any  wild  scheme,  but  he  distrusted  the  im- 
pulses of  this  bold  fellow  who  thought  only  of 
colossal  speculations  and  who  always  predicted 
a  rise  in  stocks. 

With  a  partner  of  this  stamp,  any  bad  news 
coming  suddenly  on  the  market  might  ruin  the 
jfirm  in  twenty-four  hours. 

There  was  then  the  pressure  of  necessity, 
and  it  would  have  been  foolish  in  him  to  lose 
the  chance  which  still  remained  of  averting 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  HQ 

disaster.  If  Robert  had  received  this  alarming 
telegram  the  evening  before,  he  would  not  have 
hesitated  a  minute;  but  now  it  would  cost 
something  to  leave  this  charming  widow  to 
whom  he  had  just  engaged  himself. 

"  Do  you  really  wish  it/'  he  asked. 

"I  insist  upon  it." 

"Vou  have  the  right,  for  I  belong  to  you. 
Only  promise  me  that  you  will  receive  me  to- 
morrow morning.'' 

"As  early  as  you  please." 

"  Then  I  will  go,  and  I  will  return  by  the  first 
train.  Will  you  not  be  afraid  to  stay  alone 
to-night  so  near  to  the  park  where  one  hears 
steps  behind  the  hedges?"  asked  Robert  du 
Plessis.  He  smiled  at  the  remembrance,  but 
Mme.  de  Noyal  grew  pale,  and  Robert  felt  her 
hand  tremble  in  his. 

"  I  will  not  walk  in  the  accursed  park  any 
more  without  you,"  murmured  the  Baroness, 
as  she  pressed  close  to  his  side,  ^ 


120  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

hope  SO,  surely  !  "  he  cried  gaily.  *'  I  do 
not  believe  there  is  any  danger;  but  there  are 
too  many  little  doors,  and  the  highway  is  too 
near  the  wall.  The  suburbs  of  Paris  are  very 
lively,  but  there  are  too  many  bad  fellows 
about,  especially  on  Sunday,  and  you  would  do 
well  not  to  sit  on  that  bench  in  front  of  the 
grating." 

*'I  will  be  sure  not  to  do  so.  I  am  too  much 
afraid  of  that  wicked  band — I  am  going  this 
way  to  see  my  poor  rose-bushes  which 
were  frozen  in  the  winter.  But  do  not  delay, 
I  pray  you.  I  shall  be  in  despair,  if  you  miss 
your  friend,  and  I  shall  not  be  easy  until  I  see 
you  again.  Good-by  till  to-morrow.  Think 
of  me,  and  promise  me  that  you  will  not  play 
any  more." 

"  I  might  answer :  I  swear  I  will  not !  but  I  do 
not  wish  to  make  too  many  promises.  I  will 
keep  the  one  I  had  just  made  when  that  med- 
dlesome petit  bleu  disturbed  us." 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  121 

"I  have  a  presentiment  that  it  will  save  you 
from  disaster,  for  you  will  get  there  in  time," 
said  the  Baroness  after  looking  at  her  watch. 
"Will  you,  before  you  cross  the  court,  ask 
Severine  to  comt  to  me?  I  wish  to  speak  to 
her." 

"Do  you  think  that  I  shall  meet  her?"  asked 
Robert  a  little  surprised  at  the  commission. 

"She  is,  no  doubt,  in  the  small  parlor  on  the 
ground-floor,  sitting  near  the  open  window. 
She  spends  every  day  in  writing." 
^  "What  is  she  writing?    Her  memoires?' 

"  Perhaps,"  gaily  responded  Mme.  de  Noyal. 
"Do  not  take  the  trouble  to  go  up  the  perron. 
The  window  of  the  parlor  is  on  a  level  with 
the  path.  You  will  see  Mile.  Dahun  bending 
over  her  desk ;  you  will  tell  her  that  I  want 
her,  and  she  will  be  willing  to  defer  her  writ- 
ing, I  trust." 

"I  understand— I  will  send  her  to  you." 

"If,  by  chance,  she  has  gone  oiit,  do  not  lost 
any  time  in  looking  for  her.    She  would  be  in 


122  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

the  garden,  and  I  shall  find  her  there.  Go,  my 
friend.  Time  is  passing  and  trains  do  not 
wait.'' 

**I  am  off,"  said  Robert,  taking  ^his  course 
towards  the  city,  while  Mme.  de  Noyal  walked 
slowly  towards  her  rose  garden  which  lay  on 
the  other  side  of  the  park. 

Robert,  with  that  mobility  of  spirit  which 
was  the  least  of  his  faults,  was  now  anxious  to 
join  his  friend  Vignemale  as  soon  as  possible, 
and  would  gladly  have  been  excused  from 
going  out  of  his  way  to  inform  the  companion 
that  the  Baroness  was  expecting  her. 

He  found  the  window  open,  but  he  saw  only 
an  empty  arm-chair  in  front  of  a  large  desk 
laden  with  books  and  papers.  Fatigued,  no 
doubt,  with  directing  letters  or  regulating  ac- 
counts, Mile.  Severine  had  left  the  place,  and 
Robert  was  about  to  go  on  his  way  when  he 
caught  sight  of  a  portrait  which  hung  opposite 
the  window. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROB  1 23 

The  sun  fell  directly  upon  it,  and  dazzled 
the  eye  so  that  all  he  could  at  first  distin- 
guish was  a  name,  engraved  in  black  letters  on 
the  moulding  at  the  bottom  of  the  gold  frame : 
a  name  and  a  date 

"P.  Cadornac— 1889/' 

The  name  of  the  painter  and  the  date  of  the 
exposition  where  the  picture  had  been  exhib- 
ited. 

Robert's  curiosity  was  piqued,  for  he  had 
hardly  expected  to  find  there  a  work  of  his 
friend,  the  artist  of  Montmartre. 

The  picture  was  the  portrait  of  a  man  and 
Robert,  by  changing  his  position  and  making 
a  shade  with  his  hands,  was,  at  last,  able  to 
examine  the  face  without  being  blinded  by  the 
dazzling  reflections. 

He  recognized  immediately  the  man  who 
had  sat  for  the  portrait.  It  was  M.  de  Chener- 
ailles. 

Robert  could  scarcely  believe  his  eyes.  Ca- 
dornac  had  spoken  to  him,  on  the  evening  in 


124  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

November,  of  this  portrait  for  which  he  had 
been  so  royally  paid  by  the  Marquis.  But 
how  came  this  work  of  art  to  ornament  the 
little  parlor,  or  rather  the  office,  of  Mile.  Sev- 
erine  Dahun?  Was  the  governess  a  relation 
or  the  mistress  of  this  lord  more  or  less 
genuine? 

While  Robert  was  asking  himself  these 
questions,  his  memory  suddenly  awoke. 

"There  it  is,  parbleu!  there  is  the  liketiess  I 
was  searching  for,''  said  he  between  his  teeth. 
*^The  features  are  not  the  same;  but  the  look 
of  the  face  and  the  expression  of  the  eye  are 
alike.  It  is  striking,  and  I  wonder  that  the 
idea  of  comparing  the  two  heads  did  not  come 
to  me  before.  True,  I  had  not  had  the  chance. 
Now  that  I  have  seen  Chenerailles  in  a  painting, 
since  talking  with  Severine,  I  am  sure  they 
have  the  same  blood  in  their  veins.  They  do 
not  seem  to  be  trying  to  hide  themselves,  since 
this  sort  of  governess  hangs  the  portrait  of  the 
Marquis  in  her  own  room. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  12$ 

I  wonder  how  nearly  they  are  related  !  If  they 
were  brother  and  sister,  the  Dahun,  who  is— or 
says  she  is— an  unmarried  woman,  would  Be 
called  Chenerailles  like  the  Marquis— unless 
the  latter  gives  himself  a  name  which  does  not 
belong  to  him— which  would  not  surprise  me. 
Mme.  de  Noyal  must  know  all  about  the  fam- 
ily of  her  governess.  She  will  tell  me  to- 
morrow. 

'*Now,"  said  Robert,  turning  on  his  heel^with 
the  carelessness  which  formed  the  basis  of  his 
character.  ^'I  must  try  to  catch  the  train.'' 

He  did  not  miss  it.  Sceaux  is  not  far  from 
Chatenay  and  he  had  a  good  pair  of  legs.  He 
arrived  five  minutes  before  the  hour  of  depart- 
ure,  and  leaped  into  an  empty  compartment, 
raging  against  the  telegram  which  had  recalled 
him  to  Paris. 

But  he  was  really  very  uneasy.  He  sus- 
pected some  financial  disaster  which  might 
ruin  him,  and  he  was  grateful  to  Vignemale  for 


126  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

having  warned  him,  although  he  only  under- 
stood that  some  danger  threatened,  which 
there  was  still  time  to  avert. 

Temporarily  relieved  by  a  gleam  of  reflec- 
tion, Robert  resolved  that  this  should  be  a  les- 
son and  that  he  would  give  up  this  infernal 
gambling  on  the  Bourse,  which  had  always 
caused  him  disagreeable  emotions. 

Besides  he  could  do  nothing  else  since  he 
had  decided  to  leave  Paris  and  to  return  a 
married  man. 

He  had  sworn,  and  he  intended  to  keep  his 
word;  but  he  knew— and  Mme.  de  Noyal  also 
knew— that  one  can  not  be  married  off-hand 
in  France.  There  are  long  formalities  to  be 
gone  through  and  the  engaged  couple  would 
have  plenty  of  time  to  reflect  before  taking  the 
irrevocable  step. 

But,  during  the  short  journey  from  Sceaux 
to  Paris,  Robert  thought  much  less  of  the  con- 
jugal future  which  awaited  him  than  of  the 
threatening  news  that  he  should  hear  on  leav- 
ing the  train. 


CHAPTER  V. 

There  were  not  many  passengers  on  the  five 
o'clock  train.  The  Sunday  excursionists  like 
to  dine  in  the  country  and  the  first  class  car- 
riages were  nearly  empty. 

On  reaching  the  end  of  his  journey,  Robert 
looked  for  Vignemale.  There  were  not  ten 
persons  in  the  waiting-room  and  Vignemale 
was  not  among  them. 

The  train  was  five  minutes  late  and  he  could 
not  have  left  the  station,  but  he  might  be  be- 
hind time.  The  station  is  at  a  considerable 
distance  from  the  grand  boulevards,  and  the 
cabs  are  slow.  Robert  waited.  He  sat  down 
on  the  highest  step  of  the  staircase  so  that  he 
might  be  able  to  see  Vignemale  as  soon  as  he 
entered  the  court  in  a  victoria  drawn  by  some 
broken-winded  horse.  He  only  saw  some  ma- 
rauding coachmen  moving  about  in  search  of 
a  passenger. 


128  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Ten  minutes  passed.  Robert  stamped  his 
feet  with  impatience,  and  his  mind  was  filled 
with  the  most  incoherent  conjectures. 

What  was  the  reason  that  Vignemale  failed 
to  be  at  the  place  appointed  by  the  dispatch? 
Was  he  to  think  that  the  disaster  which  he 
wished  to  prevent  had  been  consummated  and 
that  the  poor  fellow  had  not  dared  to  bring 
the  news  of  this  misfortune? 

know  him— the  animal,"  muttered  du 
Plessis;  "he  is  risky  in  business  affairs,  but  he 
is  not  dishonest.  If  he  has  done  me  the  bad 
turn  to  ruin  me,  he  is  quite  capable  of  blowing 
out  his  brains.  I  should  be  in  a  pretty  fix. 
But  what  unlucky  operation  could  he  have  got 
me  into,  since  I  left  him  yesterday  at  three 
o'clock?  It  must  have  been  in  the  evening  at 
the  sub- exchange  {petite  Bourse),  What  has 
happened  since  then?  There  were  no  hints  of 
a  ministerial  crisis  this  morning,  and  there 
was  no  talk  of  any  trouble  with  Germany.  It 
is  impossible 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  l2g 

A  man  came  in  calling  out  the  evening  pa- 
pers. Robert  bought  them  and  looked  in  vain 
for  any  financial  or  political  event. 

Still  Vignemale  did  not  come. 

Robert,  exasperated,  had  half  a  mind  to  re- 
turn to  Sceaux  by  the  next  train,  and  perhaps 
it  would  have  been  well  if  he  had  done  so ;  but 
he  was  carried  away  by  anger. 

**I  will  find  him,"  said  he  between  his  teeth. 
He  shall  explain  his  conduct  to  me.  There 
are  limits  to  friendship.    If  he  has  played  a 
trick  on  me,  he  shall  pay  dearly  for  it." 

Without  further  deliberation,  Robert  hailed 
a  cab  which  was  passing,  and  jumped  into  it 
saying:  ^'Rue  de  Provence,  No.  36."  He  did 
not  expect  to  find  Raoul  at  home,  but  he 
hoped  to  learn  there  where  he  might  be  found. 
For  a  wonder,  the  cab  made  very  good  time, 
and  twenty  minutes  later  he  was  at  the  Rou 
Drouet. 

The  broker's  offices  are  in  this  street,  and 
9 


136  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

the  idea  came  to  Robert  to  inquire,  in  passing, 
if  any  one  had  seen  Vignemale. 

It  was  Sunday  ;  but  the  evening  before  a  set- 
tlement the  employes  have  work  to  do  and 
Robert  perceived,  under  the  porte  cochere, 
the  old  cashier  whom  he  knew.  He  called 
him. 

The  good  man  smiled  when  du  Plessis  asked 
if  Vignemale  were  there.though  he  took  pains 
to  add : 

"Oh!  I  know  very  well  that  he  is  not  usually 
in  his  office  on  holidays— but  I  understand  that 
there  is  a  report  of  news  from — Egypt." 

He  said  "Egypt,"  at  a  venture,  as  he  might 
have  said  the  Balearic  Islands  or  ai^  other 

place.  r 

"Not  that  I  know  of,"  responded  the  cashier. 
"I  have  just  seen  the  principal.  He  would 
have  mentioned  it.  Decidedly  quiet  every- 
where, monsieur.  Everything  is  on  the  rise 
and  to-morrow  stocks  will  go  off  like  milk 
porridge." 


The  mysterious  juror.  131 

The  adventure  was  becoming  decidedly 
mysterious. 

Relieved  from  a  great  anxiety,  Robert 
breathed  freely  again ;  but  he  was  not  satisfied 
and  he  drove  to  the  Rue  Provence. 

He  began  to  wonder  if  he  had  interpreted 
the  telegram  correctly.  The  words  **we  will 
go  up''  might  be  understood  in  another  way. 
They  might  refer  to  some  affair  which  had 
nothing  to  do  with  business,  and  consequently 
to  some  matter  in  which  Vignemale  had  need 
of  the  immediate  assistance  of  his  friend. 
They  were  intimate  enough  to  justify  his  ap- 
peal to  du  Plessis  in  such  a  case. 

It  was,  however,  still  to  be  explained  why 
Vignema^le  had  not  gone  to  the  station. 

At  the  Rue  de  Provence,  Robert  learned 
that  Vignemale  had  told  the  concierge  that  he 
was  going  to  the  club. 

Now  at  the  end  of  his  conjectures,  Robert 
concluded  that  his  comrade  was  going  to  fight 
a  duel  and  wanted  seconds. 


132  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

He  knew  that  he  was  a  bad  fellow  to  deal 
with,  and  so  there  was  nothing  unreasonable 
in  the  supposition. 

The  club,  of  which  they  were  both  members, 
was  within  a  step  of  the  Boulevard  des  Capu- 
cines.  Robert  drove  thither,  and  the- first  per- 
son that  he  saw  on  raising  his  eyes  to  the  first 
floor,  was  Raoul  Vignemale,  leaning  on  the 
balcony  railing  and  quietly  smoking  an 
enormous  cigar. 

"That  is  too  much!"  growled  Robert  as  he 
jumped  to  the  sidewalk  after  paying  his  fare. 
"My  gentleman  lounges  here  while  I  run  after 
him.  I  do  not  know  whether  it  is  a  duel,  but 
he  will  have  to  settle  with  me  first." 

Vignemale  saw  him  from  his  observatory 
and  went  through  a  joyous  pantomime,raising 
his  arms  to  heaven  at  the  apparition  of  a  friend 
whom  he  had  not  expected  and  with  a  super- 
abundance of  gestures  invited  him  to  come 
up.  Robert  needed  no  urging.  He  went  up 
the' broad  stairs,  four  steps  at  a  time,  and 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  1 33 

burst  like  a  bomh-shell  into  the  almost  deserted 
parlor.  Four  men  were  playing  whist  in  a 
corner  of  the  room,  and  two  or  three  old  men 
were  stretched  out  in  rocking-chairs  fast 
asleep.  There  was  no  other  person  on  the 
balcony  where  Vignemale  was  taking  the  air. 

''Here  you  are!"  he  cried,  making  room  for 
du  Plessis — ''Parbleu !  you  have  come  in  the 
nick  of  time!  I  was  almost  bored  to  death,, 
and  I  was  afraid  I  should  have  to  dine  with  a 
lot  of  old  gray-heads  who  fairly  put  me  to 
sleep.  We  v/ill  charter  a  cab  for  a  ride  through 
the  Bois,  and  then  we  will  go  to  the  Ambassa- 
deurs  or  to  the  circus.  How  does  that  strike 
you?"  ^ 

''I  will  tell  you  when  you  have  explained 
why  you  sent  for  me  to  return  to  Paris." 

''Well,  that  is  cool !  I  could  not  very  well 
write  to  you,  not  knowing  where  you  were." 

"You  knew  well  enough  to  have  the  address 
perfectly  right." 


134  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

''Rose  Villa,  heigh?"  asked  Vignemale, 
winking  his  eye  laughingly. 

"  Yes  Rose  Villa— and— ' 

**  That  is  right,  confess !  You  are  so  myste- 
rious that  you  never  have  told  me  where  you 
have  been  every  Sunday  for  the  last  six  weeks; 
and  you  will  do  me  the  justice  to  say  that  I 
have  never  asked  you.  But  I  guessed  it,  and 
I  am  not  the  only  one.  Your  journeys  to 
Chatenay  are  Punch's  secret  among  us  fellows 
on  Change." 

**That  is  not  the  question,"  interrupted  Rob- 
ert dryly.  You  telegraphed  to  me  that  you 
would  meet  me  at  five  o'clock  at  the  station, 
on  the  arrival  of  the  train  from  Sceaux.  I  wish 
to  know  why  you  were  not  there." 

"For  the  very  simple  reason  that  I  did  not 
make  an  appointment  to  meet  you  there." 

"You  dare  to  deny  it?" 

**  I  deny  it  absolutely." 

Robert  took  the  telegram  from  his  pocket 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  I35 

and  thrust  it  into  the  face  of  Vignemale,  who 
asked  without  being  at  all  excited: 

**Who  sent  the  petit  blue?'' 
You  sent  it.  Will  you  deny  your  signature/' 
would  not  deny  it  if  I  should  see  it  on  the 
original  of  the  dispatch,  but  a  telegraphic  sig- 
nature means  nothing.  Some  one  has  used  my 
name,  and  I  should  like  to  know  who.  Let  me 
examine  that  suspicious  paper." 

After  lopking  it  over  Vignemale  exclaimed. 

*'Did  you  believe  that  came  from  the  office 
at  Sceaux?" 

"Naturally,  I  did.'* 

*'Did  you  see  the  messenger  who  brought  it?'* 
**No,  it  was  handed  to  me  by  a  footman." 
"  Then  I  see  through  it.  My  dear  fellow, 
this  is  a  spurious  telegram,  and  I  am  astonished 
that  you  were  deceived.  If  you  had  examined 
it  you  would  have  noticed  that  the  envelope 
is  not  stamped  and  that  the  dispatch  was  writ- 
ten by  hand  instead  of  being  printed  by  the 
operator." 


136  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

*'That  is  so,"  murmured  du  Plessis,  after  he 
had  verified  it.  *'Some  one  must  have  stolen 
this  blank  from  a  telegraph  office." 

Probably.  And  that  is  very  easy.  There 
are  blanks  always  lying  on  the  table  where  peo- 
ple write  dispatches." 

*'But  why  did  any  one  send  me  a  false  tele- 
gram?" 

"To  play  a  trick  on  you." 

But,  who?" 
"I  had  nothing  to  do  with  it,  and  that  is  all 
I  know  about  it.    But  you  will  be  sure  to  find 
the  author  of  the  joke  some  day." 
do  not  see  how." 
**If  I  were  in  your  place  I  should  argue  this 
way:  It  is  May,  so  there  is  not  an  April  fool. 
An  ordinary  joker  would  not  have  taken  so 
much  trouble  for  the  sole  pleasure  of  forcing 
me  to  take  a  useless  journey.    He  had  some 
object." 

begin  to  think  so:  but  what  was  it?" 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  1 37 

If  you  were  a  married  man  one  might  pre- 
sume to  think  that  some  fine  gentleman  in- 
vented this  trick  to  clear  the  field^for  himself. 
But  as  you  have  not  yet  committed  the  folly 
of  getting  married— that  can  not  be  it.  Un- 
less— " 

"Well— finish 

*'No — no — I  never  mix  myself  up  in  the  love 
affairs  of  my  friends,  when  my  friends  do  not 
tell  me  anything  about  them,  and  as  you  have 
never  said  a  word  to  me  about  yours,  you  will 
be  pleased  if  I  keep  my  conjectures  to  my- 
self." 

Robert  began  to  understand,  and,  as  he  had 
no  longer  any  motive  for  concealing  his  visits 
to  the  Baroness,  since  Vignemale  and  the  rest 
knew  about  them  already,  he  said  brusquely: 

"Well,  yes,  I  was  at  Mme.  de  Noyal's  when 
I  received  this  telegram.  Do  you  think  this 
could  have  been  sent  to  draw  me  away  from 
there?" 


138  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

**It  looks  like  it.  I  do  not  know  what  your 
relation  to  her  is;  but  assuredly,  you  do  not  go 
to  Chatenay  ^"cry  day  to  see  the  leaves  sprout 
—you  go  there  to  make  love.  Perhaps  you  are 
not  the  only  one,  and  some  rival  who  is  an- 
noyed by  your  presence  has  played  you  this 
turn." 

*'With  the  consent  of  the  Baroness,  do  you 
think?" 

"  At  least  with  the  consent  of  the  rascal  who 
brought  the  dispatch  to  you  as  if  he  had  re- 
ceived it  from  a  messenger.  But  I  should  like 
to  know  what  you  imagined  when  you  read  this 
riddle—" 

I  believed  that  you  had  involved  me  in  some 
operation  and  that  there  was  danger  of  my 
losing  a  good  deal  of  money." 

*VYou  have  a  pretty  opinion  of  me." 

did  not  stop  to  think." 
**Well,  I,  who  do  think,  say  that  the  liar 
knows  me  and  knows  that  we  operate  on  the 
Bourse  together,  for  he  has  used  my  name^  I 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  I39 

do  not  like  it,  and  I  should  be  very  much 
pleased  to  put  my  hand  on  the  coward;  I  would 
pull  his  ears  for  him  and  even  cut  them  off  if 
he  were  worth  the  trouble.  Will  you  help  me 
find  him? 

**I  would  like  nothing  better.'' 

**Then  I  must  know  the  precise  relations 
between  you  and  the  Baroness  de  Noyal.  It 
seems  to  me  you  have  changed  your  opinion 
since  the  trial — you  believed  then  that  she  was 
guilty." 

have  certainly  learned  that  she  was  inno- 
cent" said  Robert  quickly. 
And  I  now  doubt  it." 

Because  you  do  not  know  her.  If  you  saw 
her,  if  you  heardiier,  you  would  be  convinced 
that  she  was  wrongly  accused." 

''Well,  let  it  be  so.    It  is  certain  that  her 

i 

cousin  was  really  and  truly  murdered." 

"Yes,  by  some  unknown  person  who  haunted 
Rose  Villa  and  persecuted  the-poor  child  with 
his  declarations." 


"What  do  you  know  about  it?  If  Mme.  de 
Noyal  told  you  this,  the  testimony  is  subject 
to  suspicion.  But  I  have  no  desire  to  go  over 
the  trial  again.  I  have  only  one  question  to 
ask  you  and  I  beg  you  to  answer  it  exactly. 
Are  you  her  lover?" 

''No,  and  I  shall  never  be.*' 

"Excuse  me — but  does  she  not  please  you, 
cr  do  you  not  suit  her." 

"  I  shall  not  be  her  lover,  because  I  am  go- 
ing to  marry  her." 

**  Are  you  mocking  me  or  are  you  speaking 
seriously?" 

"Very  seriously.  I  love  her  and  I  am  sure 
that  she  loves  me,  and  I  am  tired  of  living 
as  I  do." 

"When  is  the  wedding  to  take  place?" 
asked  Vignemale  with  imperturbable  coolness. 

"  Mme.  de  Noyal  is  going  back  to  Italy.  I 
shall  either  go  with  her  or  join  her  there,  and 
we  shall  be  married  there.** 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  141 

**That  is  a  pity — If  you  were  married  in 
Paris  the  church  would  not  hold  your  friends." 

Thanks  for  your  appreciation,"  replied 
Robert  dryly.  You  asked  me  what  were  my 
relations  with  Mme.  de  Noyal;  I  have  told  you 
and  I  have  not  asked  for  your  advice.  I  do 
not  even  ask  you  to  keep  the  secret.  I  care 
very  little  whether  the  world  praises  or  blames, 
I  have  the  courage  of  my  opinion.  Now  let  it 
rest  here  I  pray.  All  the  objections  you  could 
make  would  not  change  my  resolution."  .  - 
preach  to  you!  Whom  do  you  take  me 
for,  my  dear  fellow?  You  are  free  to  marry 
according  to  your  fancy.  There  are  all  sorts 
of  tastf^s  in  the  world;  and  every  one's  is  best. 
Only  let  me  know  when  the  event  will  take 
place,  and  if  I  do  not  have  to  cross  the  Alps, 
I  will  gladly  be  one  of  your  witnesses.  I  only 
find  fault  with  one  thing — that  you  did  not  tell 
me  sooner." 

**We  were  only  engaged  to-day." 


142  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROK. 

Down  at  Rose  Villa?  Then  the  dispatch 
was  very  mal  a-propos,  and  since  you  believe 
I  sent  it,  you  sent  me  to  the  devil,  no  doubt.'* 
did,  indeed.  The  dispatch  was  given  me 
in  the  park  just  after  we  had  exchanged 
promises." 

Did  you  show  it  to  the  Baroness?'* 

Naturally — and  she  advised  me  to  leave.  I 
shall  see  her  again  to-morrow  morning." 

Where?" 

At  Chatenay,  and  perhaps  it  would  be  bet- 
ter for  me  to  go  back  this  evening  to  relieve 
her  fears." 

Vignemale  shook  his  head  like  a  surgeoa 
who  has  a  beautiful  pathological  case  before 
him  and  said  to  himself: 

**You  are  badly  hurt,  my  dear  friend,  but  I 
will  save  you  in  spite  of  yourself."  And  then 
aloud: 

**You  would  be  wrong.  She  would  think 
that  you  are  jealous,  and  besides,  one  ought 
never  to  surprise  the  women.    Now,  I  trust 


THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  I43 

that  you  will  not  distrust  me  any  more  and 
will  allow  me  to  clear  up  the  mystery  of  the 
false  message/' 

**Very  gladly.    I  have  told  you  so  already." 

**Then  you  will  not  be  angry  if  I  ask  you  how 
Mme.  de  Noyal  lives  in  the  country?'' 

**She  lives  very  quietly — she  receives  no  one 
but  me." 

"Does  she  keep  up  an  establishment?'* 
A  very  moderate  one:  a  lady's  maid,  a  foot- 
man and  a  governess." 

***What  the  devil  can  she  do  with  a 
governess?" 

It  is  her  cousin's  old  governess — she  keeps 
her  for  a  companion — she  is  a  demoiselle  of 
thirty- five  years  by  the  pretty  little  name  of 
Severine." 

**She  has  another  name,  I  suppose." 

'*Her  family  name  is  Dahun." 

"Dahun?  That  is  queer— the  firm  in  which 
I  am  interested  has  a  client  of  that  name 
who   makes  big  deals;  she  invested  eight 


144  MYSTCRIOUS  JUROR. 

hundred  thousand  francs  in  Suez  the  other 
day." 

"It  certainly  can  not  be  the  woman  I  have 
seen  at  Rose  Villa." 

"The  capitalist  of  whom  I  am  speaking  lives 
in  Paris,  in  the  neighborhood  of  the  Champs- 
Elysees.  I  have  never  seen  her  and  I  do  not 
remember  who  told  me  that  she  got  rich  by 
managing  the  fortune  of  millionaires.  She  be- 
gan by  becoming  the  mistress  of  the  husband, 
and  has  managed  to  remain  the  friend  of  the 
wife.  I  will  inform  myself  more  exactly. 
What  kind  of  a  person  4s  this  companion  of 
the  Baroness?" 

"Not  at  all  bad,  in  spite  of  her  age;  she  has 
auburn  hair  and  superb  eyes— eyes  full  of  fire 
and  a  face  which  is  surprisingly  intelligent. 

"  As  far  as  I  can  judge,  she  is  treated  almost 
as  an  equal.  I  know  very  little  about  it,  how- 
ever, for  I  spoke  to  her  to-day  for  the  first 
time." 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  I45 

"Was  she  present  when  you  received  the 
dispatch?'' 

"  No,  why  do  you  ask  such  a  question?" 

"Why?  Let  us  see.  You  know  very  well 
that  a  pointer,  before  putting  himself  on  the 
scent,  takes  the  wind  on  all  sides.  You  are 
the  hunter  and  I  am  the  dog,  since  I  am  going 
to  help  you  find  the  rascal  who  deceived  us.'' 

"Very  good  !  but  this  Severine  has  nothing  to 
do  with  it." 

"Who  knows?  Suppose  that  your  frequent 
visits  to  the  Baroness  were  displeasing  to  her. 
She  would  have  taken  a  good  way  to  disgust 
you  with  them." 

"Why  should  my  visits  to  the  Baroness  be 
displeasing  to  her?  " 

"  Perhaps  she  has  a  fancy  for  you  herself. 

This  happens  to  old  maids.    I  knew  one  who 

was  in  love  with  a  young  man.    He  would 

have  nothing  to  do  with  her,  and  she  could  not 

compel  him  to  marry  her,  but  she  prevented 

him  marrying  some  one  else.    As  soon  as  she 
10 


146  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

heard  that  he  was  courting  another  woman,  she 
laid  snares  for  her  rival,  and  she  succeeded  in 
ruining  her  reputation.  She  would  have  killed 
her,  I  believe,  rather  than  suffer  him  to  marry 
her— and  she  gained  her  ends— he  is  still  a 
bachelor/' 

''There  is  no  sense  in  your  supposition. 
This  Severine  thinks  very  little  about  me.  I 
know  that  Mme.  de  Noyal  has  enemies  who 
would  like  to  force  her  to  leave  Chatenay/' 

''Is  that  true?" 

"I  would  not  believe  it,  but  I  had  proof  of  it 
to-day.  A  troop  of  blackguards  sang  some 
insulting  songs  in  front  of  one  of  the  gratings 
in  the  park,  and  I  recognized  the  leader  of  the 
band.  Yon  would  have  recognized  him  too,  for 
you  meet  him  every  day— he  is  an  old  dancer 
who  has  turned  into  a  commercial  broker." 

'KZolimard!    Jules  CoHmard  !  " 

*'0f  the  Moulin-Rouge;  they  used  to  call 
him  Fil-de-Soie." 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  1 47 

"  I  remember  him  perfectly,  and  now  he 
works  for  a  side-broker.  It  is  enough  to  dis- 
gust one  with  the  Bourse." 
**Does  he  have  any  clients?'* 
Some  very  big  ones.  I  know  of  one  who 
helped  him  to  three  commissions,  the  Marquis 
de  Chenerailles.  You  know  him  also,  for  you 
told  me  that  he  rescued  you  from  three  villains 
who  attacked  you  in  the  street.  Have  you 
ever  seen  him  since?'* 

have  met,  him  that  is  all.'' 
**You  will  have  a  chance  to  see  him  near  by 
and  often.  He  has  been  presented  at  the  club. 
He  dined  here  yesterday  and  won  twenty-five 
louis  from  me  at  cards—just  half  of  the  fifty 
which  I  won  from  you  in  our  bet  on  the  acquit- 
tal of  the  Baroness." 

Robert  du  Plessis  was  so  affected  by  these 
memories,  recalled  one  after  another,  that  it 
was  in  vain  for  him  to  try  to  dissimulate. 

Vignemale  seemed  to  make  it  a  point  to 
excite  him  by  bringing  up  these  old  stories, 


148  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

which  did  not  appear  to  have  any  relation  to 
what  he  called  the  telegraphic  trick,  and 
Robert  began  to  think  that  Vignemale  was 
right  in  insinuating  that  there  was  a  rivalry  of 
w^omen  at  the  bottom  of  all  this.  Had  not 
Severine  said  that  if  the  Baroness  should 
marry  again  she  should  leave  the  house?  Had 
not  the  Marquis  de  Chenerailles  given  his  por- 
trait to  the  governess  who  resembled  him  so 
strongly?  and  this  gentleman  employed  Coli- 
mard  as  his  agent  at  the  Bourse,  and  Colimard 
went  on  Sunday  to  Chatenay  to  annoy  Mme. 
de  Noyal. 

Were  all  these  people  in  collusion  against 
the  Baroness?  If  M.  de  Chenerailles  had  been 
her  enemy  he  would  not  have  undertaken  her 
defense.  Had  he  become  her  enemy  since  the 
acquittal  which  he  so  brilliantly  achieved? 

Robert  was  not  prepared  to  solve  these 
problems. 

Vignemale,  who  was  watching  him,  from  the 
corner  of  his  eye,  made  no  effort  to  relieve 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  149 

him  from  his  embarrassment.  One  would 
have  said  that  he  enjoyed  it,  he  put  an  end  to 
it,  however,  and  to  the  situation  by  saying 
with  an  indifferent  air: 

"My  friend,  you  are  wonderfully  good  to 
worry  yourself  to  death  over  so  small  a  matter. 
Everything  will  be  cleared  up  some  day. 
Besides,  since  you  have  decided  to  marry,  the 
history  of  the  false  telegram  is  of  no  impor- 
tance, and  I  do  not  understand  why  you^  give 
yourself  so  much  trouble  over  it.  It  will  be 
time  enough  to  think  about  it  to-morrow.  The 
night  brings  counsel;  let  us  go  dine  at  the 
Champs  Elysees.'* 

^'Very  well!'^  said  Robert,  more  resigned 
than  reassured. 

They  had  left  the  balcony  and  were  crossing 
the  grand  salon  to  go  down  to  the  street, 
when  a  footman  of  the  club  presented,  on  a 
plate,  a  letter  to  Robert  du  Plessis,  saying : 

"It  came  yesterday,  but  monsieur  did  not 
come  here  in  the  evening.'' 


ISO  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Robert  took  it  with  a  gesture  of  impatience. 
Messages  were  pursuing  him. 

**I  h^ve  an  idea  that  is  from  a  woman/'  said 
Vignemale. 

The  large,  square  letter  did  not  look  like  a 
billet-doux,  however. 

Robert  broke  the  seal  and  looked  in  vain  for 
-the  signature. 

**Is  that  a  joke  too?''  asked  Vignemale 
gayly. 

The  letter  contained  four  pages  of  writing, 
in  a  large,  regular  hand  like  a  book-keeper's, 
and  was  as  follows  : 

**A  friend  whom  you  do  not  know,  wishes  to 
"prevent  you  from  committing  a  folly  of  which 
**you  will  repent  all  your  life.  You  have  al- 
lowed  yourself  to  be  ensnared  by  the  falsest 
"and  most  perverse  of  women.  She  has  de- 
"  signs  upon  you,  and  since  she  has  attracted 
"you  to  Chatenay,  she  has  succeeded  in  per- 
"suading  you  that  she  did  not  kill  her  cousin. 
"It  is  true  that  she  did  not  kill  her  with  her 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  -I5I 

**own  hand,  she  is  too  much  of  a  coward.  But 
*'she  sentenced  her  to  death,  and  the  murderer 
*'had  only  to  execute  the  sentence.  I  have 
proofs  of  this,  and  although  the  incapacity  of 
''the  jury  has  saved  her  from  punishment,  it 
''lies  with  me  to  deliver  her  up  to  the  contempt 
*'and  execration  of  all  honest  persons.  But 
*'her  accomplice,  who  has  not  been  tried, 
"would  have  to  suffer  in  her  stead,  if  I  should 
''denounce  her,  and  that  would  be  unjust,  for 
*'he  was  only  an  instrument.  I  shall  not  de- 
"nounce  her,  but  I  wish  you  to  know  what 
*'kmd  of  a  woman  she  is,  and  what  she  wishes 
"to  do.  Five  years  ago  she  swore  that  she 
"would  marry  you.  The  day  that  Jeanne  con- 
"fessedto  her  that  she  loved  you,  the  crime 
"was  conceived,  and  the  next  day  the  unhappy 
"child  was  murdered  in  the  park  where  the 
"murderer  was  watching  for  her,  and  where  he 
"had  been  brought  by  the  Baroness  herself. 
"This  woman  is  a  monster.    She  would^blow 


the:  mysterious  juror. 

*'up  a  city  to  satisfy  a  caprice,  and  she  de- 
"pends  upon  you  to  reinstate  her  in  the  society 
"from  which  she  has  been  driven.    She  has 
"not  yet  dared  to  disclose  her  projects,  but 
"she  will  not  delay  much  longer,  for  her  situa- 
"tion  at  Chatenay  is  no  longer  tenable.  She 
"will  be  forced  to  go  away,  and  she  will  pro- 
"pose  to  you  to  follow  her.    If  you  should 
"have  the  weakness  to  consent,  you  would  be 
"a  lost  man.    I  warn  you.    If  you  do  not  fol- 
"  low  the  disinterested  advice  which  I  give  you, 
"you  will  have  only  yourself  to  blame  for  all 
"the  misfortunes  which  will  result  from  your 
"folly!" 

"Well,  what  is  it  about?"  asked  Vignemale. 

Robert  handed  him  the  letter  saying : 

"Read  it— it  is  anonymous— and  tell  me 
what  you  think  of  it  ?" 

"I  think  it  was  written  by  a  woman,"  said 
Vignemale  after  having  read  the  letter. 

"I  do  not  think  so.    It  is  a  man's  writing." 

"The  ideas  are  certainly  a  woman's— as  to 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  1 53 

the  writing,  it  is  the  same  as  that  in  the  tele- 
gram ;  see  for  yourself,"  said  Vignemale  plac- 
ing the  dispatch  before  his  eyes. 

*' There  is  a  similarity — but — " 

**It  is  the  same,  I  tell  you,  and  here  is  a 
discovery  which  will  put  us  on  the  track.  This 
person  wrote  you  yesterday  to  prevent  your 
going  to  Chatenay.  He  has  telegraphed  to- 
day to  bring  you  away  and  the  two  messages 
are  in  the  same  hand." 

**What  do  you  conclude  from  this?" 

**That  the  Baroness  has  an  enemy  in  her  own 
household." 

An  enemy  who  slanders  her  falsely." 

**I^do  not  know  that    These  anonymous 

V 

letters  are  very  vulgar ;  but  there  is  no  harm 
in  taking  advantage  of  the  indications  that  one 
finds  in  them." 

**Thcn  you  believe  that  Mme.  de  Noyal  paid 
a  villain  to  murder  her  cousin,  simply  to  pre- 
vent h^r  from  marrying  me?" 


154  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

"I  assert  nothing,  but  this  idea  came  to  me 
a  long  time  ago.    Do  you  remember  our  con- 
versation in  the  court-room?    I  asked  you  if 
the  Baroness  did  not  have  an  inclination  for 
you.     You  became  quite  red  with  anger.  I 
was  jesting  then,  but  it  seems  td  me  now  that 
I  guessed  right.    But  I  have  no  advice  to  give 
you— for  I  believe  in  individual  liberty.  I 
have  already  made  my  professions  of  faith  on 
this  subject.    Marry  or  not,  my  friend,  we  will 
always  remain  friends.    And  if  I  ever  get  hold 
of  the  amiable  joker  who  has  made  use  of  my 
name,  I  will  have  an  explanation  with  him 
which  will  remove  all  desire  to  do  the  same 
thing  again.   Just  now  we  have  nothing  better 
to  do  than  to  drive  out  in  order  to  refresh  our 
ideas.    I  propose  the  terrace  of  the  Ambassa- 
deurs.    Perhaps  we  will  find  some  of  our 
friends  there,  and  we  will  wind  up  at  the  con- 
cert.   You  have  given  up  the  ridiculous  idea 
of  going  back  to  Chatenay  this  evening." 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  155 


Entirely." 

^'Then  let  us  start  for  the  Champs  Elysees, 
and  to-morrow  we  will  attend  to  business." 

Robert  followed  his  friend  without  delay. 
The  anonymous  letter  and  Vignemale's  com- 
ments had  thrown  cold  water  on  the  enthusi- 
asm of  the  lover  and  he  saw  that  he  had  been 
in  a  great  hurry  to  engage  himself.  He  was  not- 
convinced  that  Mme.  de  Noyal  was  guilty,  but 
he  had  begun  to  doubt  her  innocence  and  he 
was  disposed  to  take  time  tp  clear  away  his 
doubt  before  becoming  united  with  her  for  life. 

But  he  was  not  unwilling  to  forget  the  cares 
which  were  tormenting,  until  the  morrow,  and 
he  readily  agreed  to  the  proposal  to  pass  the 
evening  in  jolly,  or  at  least  in  numerous 
company. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


The  two  friends  had  talked  a  long  time  be- 
fore leaving  the  club,  and  when  they  reached 
the  cafe  they  found  it  full.    The  warmth  of 
this  spring  Sunday  had  attracted  from  every- 
where those  people  who  love  to  dine  out  of 
doors.    They  were  everywhere,  and  on  the  ter-  ^ 
race,  facing  the  music-stand,  every  table  was 
occupied.    Some  foreigners  belonging  to  the 
genus  excursionists,   had  invaded  it;  some 
third-rate  fellows  were   taking  a  treat  with 
some  young  women  of  no  consequence,  and 
some  bourgeois  couples  had  installed  them- 
selves there  to  enjoy  the  good  cooking  with 
the  music  thrown  in. 

''The  devil growled  Vignemale,  '*we  are 
left !  not  a  person  we  know  !  and  what  is  worse 
not  a  vacant  place !  We  shall  have  to  go  some- 
where else." 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  157 

Robert,  better  informed  than  his  comrade, 
had  just  seen,  quite  near  them,  and  sitting 
alone  at  a  table  which  would  easily  accommo- 
date four  persons,  a  gentleman  whom  he  had 
not  expected  to  meet  and  who  hastened  to 
bow  to  him. 

-That  is  Colimard's  client,"  said  Vignemale 
half  aloud.  **If  he  were  polite  he  would  offer 
us  the  seats  opposite  him.  You  have  known 
him  some  time  and  he  has  won  twenty-five 
louis  from  me.  It  wouldn^t  cost  him  anything 
to  be  polite  to  us  and  we  should  not  be  obliged 
to  go  away  for  lack  of  seats.'* 

Colimard's  heavy  client  was  the  Marquis  de 
Chenerailles  and  he,  no  doubt,  guessed  what 
Vignemale  was  saying  to  his  friend,  for  he  rose 
and  came  with  the  best  grace  in  the  world,  to 
invite  them  to  take  seats  at  the  table  where  he 
was  dining  alone. 

*a  was  expecting,"  he  said,  **two  friends  who 
have  played  me  false.    I  will  not  wait  for  them 


IS8  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

any  longer,  and  I  have  two  places  to  offer 
you." 

Vignemale  made  no  ceremony  over  accept- 
ing, and  Robert  did  so  only  for  form's  sake. 
In  other  circumstances,  he  would  have  hesita- 
ted perhaps;  but  it  seemed  to  him  that  he 
ought  to  take  advantage  of  this  unexpected 
interview  to  obtain  some  light  on  certain  ob- 
scure sides  of  the  present  situation:  for  exam- 
ple the  history  of  the  portrait  which  he  had 
seen  in  the  room  of  the  lady-companion.  He 
would  like  also  to  find  out  the  relations  be- 
tween the  Marquis  and  Fil-de-Soie.  These 
were  two  subjects  which  were  difficult  to  ap- 
proach ;  but,  conversation  between  men  at  an 
improvised  dinner,  is  likely  to  touch  on  many 
subjects  and  Vignemale  would  find  a  way  to 
bring  it  about ;  Vignemale,  who  talked  about 
everything  even  if  he  knew  nothing  about  it. 

M.  de  Chenerailles,  with  whom  Robert  had 
associated  very  little,  was  of  a  less  exuberant 
nature,  and  the  relations  between  them  had 


THE    MYSTERIOUS    JUROR.  159 

always  been  ceremonious ;  but  this  evening  he 
seemed  disposed  to  be  friendly  and  was  so 
amiable  and  simple  that  all  embarrassment  dis- 
appeared at  once.  They  drank  champagne, 
each  paying  his  share,  and  the  Roederer  un- 
tied the  tongues  of  all. 

The  Marquis  had  traveled  a  good  deal  and 
seemed  to  have  mingled  in  the  best  society, 
and  he  engrossed  the   conversation,  telling 
amusing  anecdotes  without  obtruding  his  per- 
sonality too  strongly,  which  is  the  height  of 
the  art  of  talking.    He  seemed  to  avoid  speak- 
ing of  his  family,  his  past  or  his  origin;  but 
your  genuine  noble  never  talks  nobility.  If 
that  of  M.  de  Chenerailles  did  not  date  from__ 
the  Crusade,  he  was  incontestably  an  accomp- 
lished gentleman,  and  if  his  antecedents  had 
been  dubious  he  would  not  have  been,  at  Paris, 
on  the  jury  list  on  which  are  inscribed  the 
names  of  more  bourgeois  than  grand  seigneurs 
and  where  his  name  had  figured  by  the  side  of 
that  of  M.  Dauphin,  the  upholsterer. 


l60  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Vignemale  gave  the  cue  and  the  talk  did  not 
languish;  but  Robert  had  not  yet  succeeded 
in  leading  to  the  subjects  with  which  he  was 
pre-occupied,  when  apropos  of  the  disgrace 
of  a  fashionable  woman  who  had  recently  en- 
rolled herself  in  the  great  army  of  demi- 
mondaines,  M.  de  Chenerailles  said: 

Gentlemen,  do  you  know  what  has  become 
of  the  Baroness  de  Noyal  since  her  judicial 
adventures?" 

Robert  was  so  surprised  at  the  question  that 
he  remained  silent. 

''Perhaps  you  think  that  she  has  disappeared 
forever  like  a  falling  star,"  continued  the  Mar- 
quis. ''Not  at  all!  After  an  eclipse  of  some 
months,  she  is  living  quite  near  Paris,  at  the 
villa  where  she  was  arrested  last  year.  I  have 
it  on  good  authority." 

"That  is  very  bold  on  her  part,"  said  Vigne- 
male. "I  was  at  the  trial  and  I  divined  that 
this  suave  blonde  was  a  superior  person. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  l6l 

You  will  see  that  she  will  resume  her  place  in 
society/' 

"Why  not?  asked  Robert  timidly.  **She 
was  acquitted.'* 

•*I  was  on  the  jury,"  said  M.  de  Chenerailles, 
"and  it  was  through  me  that  she  was  acquitted. 
I  was  convinced  of  her  innocence." 

In  the  few  visits  which  he  had  exchanged 
with  the  Marquis,  Robert  had  always  hesitated 
to  speak  of  what  had  passed  in  the  jury  room. 
M.  de  Chenerailles,  who  had  never  said  a  word 
to  him  about  it,  now  introduced  the  subject 
himself  and  continued: 

"I  had  never  visited  at  Mme.  de  Noyal's 
when  I  was  summoned  on  the  jury  and  I  knew 
only^the  facts  brought  out  at  the  trial.  Now  I 
am  better  informed;  if  I  had  it  to  do  over 
again — " 

"You  would  do  it  over  again,"  sang  Vigne- 

male  to  the  air  of  the  "  Brigands  "  of  Offenbach. 

"  I  do  not  think  so,"  said  M.  de  Chenerailles, 
a 


l62  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

gravely.    *^The  Baroness  was  released,  but  she 
had  a  narrow  escape." 

Have  you  since  found  the  proofs  of  her 
guilt?" 

**Not  the  material  proof;  but  the  absolute 
conviction,  and  I  have  arrived  at  the  convic- 
tion from  information  which  was  given  me 
by  a  person  whom  I  have  known  for  a  good 
many  years  and  who  has  been  very  much  mixed 
up  with  the  life  of  Pvlme.  de  Noyal.  She  did 
not  see  her  commit  the  crinie,  but  she  knows 
why  it  was  committed,  and  this  person  is  the 
former  governess  of  the  young  girl." 
**Severine!"  cried  Robert  du  Plessis. 
Miss  Severine  Dahun.  You  have  often  seen 
her  at  the  house  of  the  Baroness." 

*^Who  has  overwhelmed  her  with  benefits 
which  she  repays  by  accusing  her  of  an 
odious  crime,"  said  Robert.  ^ 

She  could  have  ruined  her,  and  she  said 
nothing  to  the  judge  who  presided  at  the  trial. 
It  is  only  recently  that  she  came  to  consult 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  163 

me,  as  she  would  have  consulted  her  confessor 
upon  a  matter  of  conscience.  You  might  be 
astonished  that  she  chose  to  confide  a  secret 
which  weighed  heavily  on  her  mind,  to  me,  if  I 
did  not  tell  you  that  her  family  is  connected 
with  mine,  and  that  she  is  almost  a  relation/' 

''Robert  was  on  the  point  of  saying:  '*She 
looks  enough  like  you  to  be  your  sister;"  but 
he  restrained  himself  so  as  not  to  interrupt  the 
Marquis  in  the  flow  of  his  confidence. 

Vignemale,  who  was  less  reserved,  hastened 
to  say: 

''She  must  also  be  related  to  one  of  our 
clients,  who  bears  the  same  name  and  who  has 
just  withdrawn  eight  hundred  thousand  francs, 
which  she  had  with  my  patron." 

*'  She  is  the  client  herself,''  tranquilly  re- 
plied M»  de  Chenerailles.  My  old  friend  has, 
by  her  intelligence  and  economy,  accumulated 
a  very  pretty  capital  and  I  have  advised  her  in 
regard  to  its  investment.  She  is  going  to  re- 
tire to  the  provinces,  and  I  hope  she  may 


164  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

marry  there,  although  she  has  waited  almost 
too  long.  I  have  had  some  trouble  to  make 
her  decide  to  leave  the  Baroness;  I  have  finally 
succeeded  in  making  her  understand  that  her 
place  is  no  longer  at  Rose  Villa." 

"Mme.  de  Noyal  does  not  intend  to  remain 
there,  I  believe,"  said  du  Plessis. 

She  would  do  well  to  leave,  and  the  sooner 
the  better,  if  she  wishes  to  avoid  insult." 
**She  has  been  insulted  already." 
"Yes,"  said  Vignemale,  '^my  friend  du  Ples- 
sis tells  me  that  the  insignificant  Colimard, 
aided  by  some  other  blackguards,  gave  a  char- 
ivari in  front  of  the  park  grating.  You  know 
him  very  well,  monsieur  the  Marquis?" 

**The  fellow  who  was  called  Fil-de-Soie  of 
the  Moulin-Rouge?" 
Exactly." 

I  made  his  acquaintance  there,"  said  M.  de 
Chenerailles  laughing.  "  He  was  on  very  good 
terms  with  all  the  women,  he  was  useful  to  me, 
and  when  I  found  him  again  at  the  Bourse, 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  165 

where  he  has  intruded  himself,  I  helped  him 
make  some  money.  But  I  beg  of  you  not  to 
think  that  I  sent  him  to  Chatenay/' 

Everything  concurred  to  make  Robert  be- 
lieve that  the  Baroness  had  taken  advantage 
of  his  credulity  and  weakness  to  extract  a  • 
promise  from  him.  The  clear  and  frank  lan- 
guage of  M.  de  Chenerailles  had  dissipated  the 
vague  suspicions  which  the  discovery  of  the 
portrait  had  aroused.  This  loyal  and  correct 
gentleman  Had  been  the  first  to  speak  of  his 
relations  to  the  family  of  the  governess,  and 
even  of  the  protection  which  he  accorded  to  the 
equivocal  Fil-de-Soie.  And  it  was  impossible  to 
suppose  that  these  explanations  had  been 
prepared,  for  the  Marquis  could  not  have 
guessed  that  Robert  du  Plessis  and  Vignemale 
would  come  that  evening  to  the  Ambassadeurs. 

Vignemale  proposed  that  they  should  finish 
the  evening  at  the  Circus,,  and  the  Marquis  ac- 
cepted at  once. 


l66  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Robert  was  in  no  humor  to  accompany  them, 
and  he  excused  himself  on  the  plea  that  his 
trip  to  the  country  had  fatigued  him  and  that 
the  sun  had  given  him  a  headache  which  the 
champagne  had  not  made  any  better,  and  that 
he  preferred  to  go  to  bed. 

That  will  be  best,"  said  Vignemale,  slipping 
the  anonymous  letter  and  the  false  dispatch 
into  his  hand;  sleep  the  sleep  of  tlie^just  and 
have  no  bad  dreams.  I  will  come  in  the  morn- 
ing and  wake  you  up,  and  we  will  breakfast  at 
Tortoni's." 

Robert  did  not  refuse,  although  he  had 
promised  the  Baroness  to  return  to  Chatenay 
by  the  first  train,  and  leaving  the  restaurant, 
the  three  men  shook  hands  and  went  their 
ways. 

The  house  in  which  Robert  lived  was  at  the 
corner  of  Avenue  Percier,  and  he  was  not  far 
from  the  porte  cochere  when  he  saw  a  woman 
leaning  against  the  door  as  if  keeping  guard. 
There  was  no  reason  for  arresting  her,  and 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR,  167 

without  paying  any  attention  to  this  belle  of 
the  night,  he  put  his  finger  on  the  button  of 
the  bell.    But  the  wpman  said  to  him: 

**Good  evening,  monsieur.  Do  you  not 
recognize  me?" 

**Not  at  all,"  responded  Robert,  who  believed 
that  she  was  one  of  the  women  who  are  on  the 
lookout  for  adventures. 

If  she" were  one,  she  had  chosen  a  very  bad 
time  and  he  was  going  to  pass  her  rudely,  but 
she  said: 

"You  have  seen  me  often  at  Rose  Villa.  I 
am  Mme.  de  Noyal's  maid.  If  you  do  not 
remember  my  face,  perhaps  you  may  recollect 
my  name— Sylvia?" 

"Are  you  the  woman  that  Mme.  de  Noyal 
brought  with  her  from  Italy?" 

"  Yes,  monsieur,  from  Pisa,  where  my  last 
mistress  had  left  me— Madame  the  Baroness 
did  me  a  great  service.  I  would  go  through 
the  fire  for  her:" 


l68  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

''Very  well,  but  I  do  not  understand  why  I 
find  you  here." 

have  been  here  twenty  minutes.  Your 
porter  told  me  that  you  had  not  come  in.  I 
waited  for  you  in  the  street  and  I  am  glad  that 
I  did,  for  you  are  now  here." 

"What  do  you  want?"  asked  Robert. 

''I  must  first  give  you  this  note  from  Mad- 
ame the  Baroness." 

Robert,  stupefied,  took  from  the  woman'i^ 
hand  a  leaf  of  paper  which  looked  as  if  it  had 
been  torn  from  a  note-book,  and  by  the  light 
of  a  gas-jet  he  deciphered  some  lines  hastily 
written  in  pencil  : 

**  A  danger  threatens  me.  A  terrible  danger. 
"I  have  no  hope  but  in  you:  Come.  You  may 
*'  depend  on  Sylvia.  Please  God  she  may  find 
*'you  and  bring  you  here.  If  I  must  never  see 
**yo.u  again,  do  not  forget  me." 

This  was  certainly  the  writing  of  the  Baro- 
ness. Robert  could  not  be  mistaken  in  this, 
but  his  first  thought  was,  that  this  singular 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  1^9 

appeal  was  only  a  new  mystification,  and  that 
it  concealed  a  snare. 

"Have  you   no  special  commission  from 
Mme.  de  Noykl?'*  asked  Robert. 

**Oh!  yes,  monsieur:  I  must  bring  you  back 
with  me  without  fail." 

Ah !  Do  you  know  what  your  mistress  has 
written  to  me?  " 

"No,  monsieur;  but  I  suspect.'' 

"Then  tell  me  what  it  means." 

"Yes,  monsieur.    You  know  Severine?" 

"Mile.  Caristie's  governess?" 

"That  is  the  one!  and  she  is  a  woman  that 
James  and  I  cordially  dislike." 

"Who  is  James?" 

"The  footman  that  Madame  brought  from 
Italy.  A  splendid  Englishmen.  Have  you 
never  noticed  him?" 

"Upon  my  word,  no,  Sylvia.  But  go  on,  you 
were  speaking  of  Severine." 

Was  he  about  to  find  the  key  to  the  mystery 
which  his   interview   with  the  Marquis  had 


1^0  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

made  still  more  obscure?  But,  he  was  on  his 
guard,  decided  to  believe  nothing  without 
proofs,  and  above  all  not  to  return  to  Chatenay 
unless  it  was  absolutely  necessary. 

"I  have'^  watched  Severine  for  nearly  a 
month,"  said  Sylvia.  '^The  neighbors  have 
told  me  the  history  of  Madame,  and  I  adore 
Madame.  I  agreed  with  James  to  watch  this 
big  red-headed  woman  with  her  sharp  eyes 
which  have  not  the  catholic  look  at  all.  I  saw 
that  she  was  always  writing,  keeping  accounts, 
and  never  getting  through.  But  she  does  not 
leave  her  papers  lying  about  and  she'  always 
carries  her  own  letters  to  the  post;  she  is 
afraid,  no  doubt,  that  some  one  will  see  the 
name  of  her  acquaintance — for  I  am  sure  she 
has  an  acquaintance." 

**Be  short;  the  time  is  passing,  and  if  we 
wish  to  take  the  train — " 

**Yes,  monsieur,  at  forty  minutes  past  ten. 
Let  us  start  now,  I  will  explain  to  you  on  the 
way/' 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  17 1 

She  took  his  arm  and  drew  him  gently 
forward. 

**No,  Sylvia,"  said  he  disengaging  himself, 
must  know  first." 

^'Know  what?  that  Madame  is  in  great  dan- 
ger down  there?  She  must  have  written  that 
to  you,  and  it  is  God's  truth." 

What  danger?" 

"Severine  and  the  villains  with  whom  she 
has  an  understanding.  I  saw  two  of  them 
roaming  about  this  evening ;  one  of  them  I 
know  very  well— he  is  quite  handsome,  but  he 
has  a  wicked  look.  Stop  !  it  is  that  good-for- 
nothing,  who  made  a  charivari  this  morning, 
with  a  lot  of  his  own  kind." 

Robert  began  to  be  interested  once  more  in 
the  misfortunes  of  the  Baroness. 

''Let  us  go,  monsieur,"  repeated  Sylvia.  "If 
we  lose  a  minute  we  may  miss  the  train." 

"We  will  take  the  next  one,  that  is  all. 
There  are  trains  running  until  midnight." 


172  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

"The  next  train !  And  what  if  we  get  there 
too  late.'* 

"But,'*  persisted  Robert,  "why  didnotMme. 
de  Noyal  come  herself  instead  of  sending 
you?" 

"Because  of  those  fellows,  who  are  strolling 
about.  Madame  is^^so  timid!  I  was  not  any 
too  brave  myself.  I  know  a  path — I  only  tell 
that  to  you.  I  slipped  out  by  the  little  door, 
and  I  reached  the  scholar's  road,  but  not  for 
my  own  pleasure." 

A  victoria  was  passing. 

Sylvia  hailed  the  driver,  opened  the  door 
and  said  to  Madame 's  lover: 

"Come,  monsieur,  get  in,"  and  he  obeyed. 

"To  the  Sceaux  station,"  ordered  the  amaz- 
ing soubrette.  "If  you  get  there  at  ten  thirty^ 
five  you  shall  have  a  handsome  pour-boire." 

She  threw  herself  into  the  carriage,  and  sat 
down,  without  any  ceremony  beside  Robert, 
who  found  her  very  amusing. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  173 

am  listening  to  you  Sylvia.  In  your 
opinion  and  that  of  James,''  said  he  smiling, 
**the  Severine  is  the  chief  of  a  band— a  sort  of 
Cartouche  in  petticoats.'* 

Worse  than  that,  perhaps!  Listen  to  me 
monsieur,  and  you  shall  judge :  This  morning 
when  you  came,  I  saw  that  the  big  red-head,who 
is  very  fond  of  you,  I  am  sure  of  it,  intended  to 
see  you  on  your  arrival.  I  was  at  a  window  on 
the  first  floor  when  you  came  through  the  gate. 
There  was  no  one  to  receive  you.  You  see  it 
is  Sunday,  and  James  had  gone  to  play  bowls, 
and  did  not  return  till  two  hours  after.  I  lis- 
tened and  I  heard  you  go  into  Madame's  favor- 
ite parlor.  I  also  heard  Severine  go  there  and 
the  sound  of  your  voices  through  the  floor. 
My  faith,  I  could  hold  back  no  longer,  and, 
pardon  me,  monsieur,  but  it  was  for  Madame's 
sake— you  understand." 
•'Not  at  all." 
Eh  well,  I  stretched  myself  on  the  floor  and 
listened." 


174  •  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

**I  understand." 

**And  I  remember  what  she  said  last  to  you: 
*Angelique  is  free  to  marry  again  as  I  am  free 
to  leave  her  if  she  should  do  so  foolish  a  thing/ 
I  have  a  good  memory." 

**And  good  ears  too,"  said  Robert. 

**Yes,  monsieur,  at  your  service  and  Ma- 
dame's.  I  said  to  myself — 'Severine  you  do 
not  want  Madame  to  marry  again,  especially 
that  man  for  whom  you  have  a  weakness.' 
When  you  were  last  in  the  park  where  Madame 
was  waiting  for  you — you  see  I  know  all  about 
it !  I  wished  to  see  Severine  close  by,  and  I 
watched  her  without  appearing  to  do  so.  She 
was  angry,  and  at  whati  She  knew  that  Ma- 
dame and  you  would  not  waste  your  time  in 
talking  politics.  When  those  blackguards 
were  singing:  *In  the  street  Lique-Liquetowne,' 
a  song  made  for  the  occasion,  I  looked  through 
the  key-hole  into  her  den.  She  laughed  at  the 
rubbish  until  her  face  was  as  red  as  a  beet." 

"Are  you  sure?** 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  175 

do  not  keep  my  eyes  in  my  pocket." 

"Nor  your  ears  either. 
Certainly  not.  Not  long  after  I  heard  some 
one  go  out  into  the  park.  I  went  upstairs  and 
posted  myself  at  a  window  on  the  stairs  which 
overlooks  the  whole  place.  What  did  I  see 
but  Severine  gliding  along  under  the  trees  like 
a  snake,  and  I  saw  her,  as  plain  as  I  see  mon- 
sieur, hide  herself  behind  the  hedge." 

But  the  victoria  now  stopped  suddenly  at 
the  station.  Robert  looked  at  his  watch ;  it 
was  thirty-five  minutes  past  ten.  He  gave  a 
pour-boire  to  the  coachman,  and  entered  the 
train  without  any  hesitation. 


CHAPTER  VII. 

They  had  got  into  a  vacant  first-class  com- 
partment, but  at  the  moment  the  train  was 
about  to  start,  two  other  travelers  entered  and 
took  their  places  opposite  and  Sylvia  was 
obliged  to  stop  her  recital. 

•Robert  rebelled  against  the  wise  slowness 
with  which  the  Sceaux  railroad  follows  its  in- 
terminable curves.  They  reached  Sceaux  at 
last,  however,  and  as  they  had  a  little  more 
than  a  mile  to  walk  in  the  moonlight,  Sylvia 
had  time  to  finish  her  confessions  and 
confidences. 

From  my  observatory  I  continued  to  watch 
Severine,  and  I  confess  to  you  that  my  heart 
beat  very  hard.  It  was  from  that  hedge,  you 
know  better  than  I,  that  the  shot  was  fired 
which  killed  Madame's  cousin.  I  had  strange 
thoughts.    If  James  had  only  been  there  ;  but 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  177 

the  rascal  lingered  at  the  bowls — he  is  a  first- 
class  player — besides,  I  thought  that  your 
presence  would  protect  the  poor  woman  from 
her  enemies." 

*That  was  well  reasoned,  Sylvia.  Go  on; 
but  let  us  hurry." 

He  took  long  strides  and  she  trotted  after 
him. 

When  I  saw  you  two  stop  before  the  hedge, 
where  that  snake  was  watching,  my  heart  was 
in  my  mouth.  Suddenly  Madame  trembled  as 
she  pointed  with  a  frightened  air  at  Severine's 
hiding-place.  Oh !  I  surely  thought  that  the 
jade  had  been  caught  in  the  very  act ;  but  you 
supported  jVTadame  and  resumed  the  conver- 
sation. Good !  said  I  to  myself,  she  must  hear 
every  word!  she  is  in  the  very  best  place  to 
hear,  and  I  could  see  that  you  and  Madame 
were  not  saying  disagreeable  things." 

*'Be  brief,  Sylvia,  I  beg  of  you.'' 

She  was  obliged  to  stop  ^  minute  to  take 

breath.    They  could  see  the  trees  of  the  park 
12 


178  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

and  it  would  not  take  more  than  ten  minutes 
to  reach  there,  but  how  long  these  minutes 
seemed ! 

**Well,  Sylvia,  what  then?"  said  he,  as  he 
invited  her  to  take  his  arm,  which  she  did 
with  an  air  of  satisfaction. 

*'Did  you  not  make  a  search  in  the  hedge, 
monsieur?'' 
Yes,  Sylvia." 

**Did  not  a  black-bird  fly  out,  and  did  you 
not  laugh?" 

**Yes,  but  what  then?  ' 

**That  black-bird  made  itself  an  accomplice 
of  Severine.  But  there  was  something  else. 
James  brought  you  a  dispatch,  and  you  went 
away  after  stopping  to  look  into  the  room 
where  the  serpent  concocts  her  schemes." 

Robert  interrupted  her  to  ask  who  had 
brought  the  dispatch. 

*'One  of  the  singers  of  the  Rue  Lique-Lique- 
towne,  the  little  brown  one  with  the  wicked 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  I79 

look.  I  recognized  him  by  the  description 
which  James  had  given  me." 

*'Fil-de-Soie  again,  the  scoundrel!"  thought 
Robert.  *'But  go  on,  or  rather  finish,  for  we 
are  here." 

She  made  him  stop  a  few  minut^es  and  fin- 
ished her  story. 

''Before  dinner  I  took  Madame  aside  and 
spoke  to  her  alone.  I  told  her  all  and  she 
grew  as  white  as  wax.  Suddenly  I  heard  the 
front  gate  shut.  I  ran  to  the  window  and  saw 
Severine  hurrying  to  the  station,  no  doubt  to 
carry  the  tetters  which  she  writes  every  day. 
Madame  looked  after  her  and  then  went 
quickly  down  to  the  little  room.  I  followed, 
and  as  she  did  not  tell  me  to  go  away  I  re- 
mained. Madame  tried  every  one  of  her  own 
keys,  but  not  one  would  fit  the  drawers  of  the 
secretary.  *Wait,  Madame'  said  I.  I  went  to 
my  room  and  came  back  with  a  lot  of  small 
keys  which  I  had  inherited  from  an  old  Italian 
gentleman  with  whom  I  have  lived  in  Pisa. 


l80  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Madame  tried  one  after  another  of  them  and 
would  you  believe  it?  it  was  the  very  last  one 
that  opened  the  rose-jar.  Madame  began  to 
search  among  the  papers.  She  trembled  like 
a  leaf  but  she  did  not  forget  to  put  everything 
in  order.  At  last  she  found  a  letter  which 
made  her  cry  out.  I  thought  she  was  going  to 
faint.  But  she  recovered  herself,  refolded  the 
letter,  put  it  back  under  the  pile,  reclosed  the 
drawer  and  went  up  to  her  room  where  I  fol- 
lowed her  as  you  know." 

*'Go  on,  go  on." 
Madame  wrote  the  note  which  I  brought  to 
you,  put  it  in  an  envelope  and  told  me  to  take 
it  to  you  and  to  bring  you  back  immediately. 
She  is  waiting  for  you  in  the  park,  near  the 
small  door,  through  which  I  came  out.  That 
is  why  I  have  kept  you  here,  that  we  may  go 
around  the  place.  My-God  !  what  if  any  of  the 
band  should  have  seen  us.'' 

Robert  looked  around  him.  It  was  as  light 
as  day.    There  was  no  one  to  be  seen. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  l8l 

They  went  along  the  wall  of  the  park  as  far 
as  the  door,  which  was  half  concealed  by  the 
stems  of  the  ivy  falling  down  from  the  inside 
in  natural  wreaths. 

They  walked  as  stealthily  as  wolves,  lovers, 
or  thieves.    They  stopped  at  the  door. 

From  that  point  they  could  see  the  bench  on 
the  hillock. 

There  was  no  one  on  the  bench. 

Robert  risked  being  discovered : 

"  Angelique,"  said  ha  in  a  low  and  mysterious 
tone. 

There  was  no  response, 
Sylvia  seized  his  hand. 

**I  am  afraid,"  said  she  in  a  low  voice. 
What  if  we  should  fall  into  some  snare.  Have 
you  a  pistol?" 
'•Chut!" 

He  thought  he  heard  some  one  walking  be- 
hind the  wall. 
They  listened. 


l82  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

But  no,  it  was  the  noise  of  the  wind  among 
the  bushes. 

Sylvia  trembling,  gave  him  the  key  of  the 
door  and  put  herself  behind  him. 

He  opened  the  door.  ^ 

It  creaked  lightly  on  its  hinges. 

Before  closing  it  again,  Robert  made  a  slight 
pause. 

If  Mme.  de  Noyal  were  m  the  neighborhood 
she  would  not  fail  to  meet  her  faithful  servitor. 
There  was  no  one ! 

Robert  examined  the  woman  with  suspicion. 

But  Sylvia's  pretty  face  expressed  so  real  a 
fear  that  Angelique's  lover  becamc^alarmed 
also — not  for  himself,  but  for  the  Baroness, 
left  alone  with  Severine. 

He  searched  the  park  and  his  imagination 
was  so  excited  that,  when  a  moonbeam  threw 
its  white  train  between  the  trunks  of  two  trees, 
in  the  shadow  of  a  cluster  of  wood,  he  fancied 
he  saw  a  woman's  form  extended  upon  the 
ground. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  183 

He  advanced  towards  the  villa. 

**Have  you  the  key?"  he  asked  of  Sylvia. 

"Yes,  monsieur ;  but  if  we  go  in  by  the  door, 
the  serpent  will  have  us,  and  who  knows  what 
may  happen  to  us." 

**The  serpent  will  not  swallow  both  of  us/* 

**Oh!  monsieur,  do  not  go  in  at  the  door." 

"How  shall  I  get  in  then?" 

"Through  the  window." 

This  would  turn  the  Shakesperian  tragedy  - 
into  Italian  comedy.  Robert  du  Plessis  did 
not  care  to  renew  at  Chatenay  the  balcony 
scene  of  the  Veronese  lovers.  The  Baroness 
was  a  little  too  mature  for  the  role  of  Juliet, 
and,  while  having  a  very  good  opinion  of  him- 
self, he  did  not  aspire  to  play  the  part  of 
Romeo. 

"If  Vignemale  should  see  me  climbing  up 
there  he  would  take  me  for  a  mandolin  player 
serenading  his  mistress,"  said  he. 

But  we  have  seen  Sylvia  at  work.  When 


l84  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

that  Parisian  has  a  project  in  her  head,  one 
must  resign  himself  to  her  wishes. 

Monsieur  will  find  a  ladder  in  the  carriage 
house  where  James  is  waiting  for  him." 

•*Ah!  James  expects  you?  Perfect!  Well 
my  beauty,  there  is  nothing  to  fear  since  the 
Englishman  is  taking  care  of  us.  Do  me  the 
favor  to  go  up  to  Madame's  room  and  ask  her 
if  she  has  need  of  my  protection.  Bring  the 
answer  to  me  in  five  minutes  at  most.  This 
over,  I  will  return  to  Paris  by  the  way  we  came, 
I  have  the  key  of  the  little  door." 

**But,  Monsieur,  if  Severine  ?" 

"That  is  all  the  same  to  me." 

Sylvia  understood  that  he  would  not  give  it 
up  and  resigned  herself  to  obey. 

"All  right,  monsieur,  I  am  going.  I  will  try 
to  make  as  little  noise  as  possible.  Severine's 
room  is  on  the  other  side  towards  the  street. 
It  is  very  likely  that  she  will  not  hear  me. 
Give  mc  two  minutes  more  to  tell  James." 

"Go!" 


THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  I85 

He  turned  his  back  to  her,  but  he  saw  her 
from  one  side,  glide  like  a  sylph  over  the  gravel 
which  scarcely  cracked  under  her  feet. 

He  began  to  feel  a  tardy  remorse;  what  if 
this  girl  was  in  any  real  danger  ?  It  was,  surely, 
neither  gallant  nor  chivalric  to  send  her  alane 
as  a  scout. 

Bah!  was  not  the  footman  there  to  keep 
watch? 

Robert  contented  himself  by  approaching 
the  house  slowly. 

In  passing  before  the  hedge,  where  the  un- 
known assassin  had  hidden,  and  where  Mile. 
Severine  had  concealed  herself  this  very  after- 
noon, he  experienced  a  singular  apprehension. 
It  was  so  strong  that  he  hastened  his  steps,  and 
soon  perceived  the  impassible  James  who  was 
standing  before  the  half-open  door. 

He  joined  him,  and  tapping  him  on  the 
shoulder,  asked  in  a  low  voice: 

**What  do  you  think  of  all  this?" 
Nothing,''  said  James. 


l86  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Robert  looked  at  his  watch.  The  seven  min-  - 
utes  allowed  to  Sylvia  had  nearly  expired 

Suddenly  light  footsteps  were  heard.  Some- 
body is  coming  down  the  stairs  in  great  haste. 

It  is  a  woman.  No,  it  is  not  Angelique. 
Robert  could  have  distinguished  the  rustle  of 
her  dress  distinctly. 

It  is  Sylvia.    She  is  very  pale  and  her  eyes 
are  wild. 

Oh !  monsieur !    Oh  !  James ! " 

She  tries  to  speak,  but  she  is  so  oppressed 
that  the  words  will  not  come  from  her  mouth. 

At  last  she  conquers  her  emotion. 

*4  knocked  at  the  door,"  said  she.  *'and 
Madame  did  not  answer." 

"You  did  not  knock  loud  enough,"  said 
Robert,  who  supposed  that  the  Baroness  was 
asleep. 

"Yes,  indeed,  monsieur.  Madame  is  a  very 
light  sleeper.  And  then  Madame  is  locked  in, 
which  proves  that  she  is  inside.  1  thought  I 
smelt  charcoal  coming  from  under  the  door. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  187 

I  tried  to  look  through  the  key-hole,  and  I 
found  it  was  stopped  up  with  rags.  Then  I 
ran  away." 

Suicide!''    And  she  had  summoned  him, 
the  friend,  the  lover,  who  had  just  offered  to 
protect  her  against  the  malevolence  of  the 
world,  to  v/itness  that  she  was  dead.'' 
Poor,  brave  woman  ! 

He  would  save  her  if  it  were  not  too  late. 
"Quick,  James,  bring  the  ladder.    Do  you 
know  how  to  open  the  blind?" 
"Yes,  monsieur." 

The  Englishman  came  back  in  a  few  mo- 
ments, holding  the  ladder  with  both  hands,  and 
between  his  teeth  a  pair  of  pincers,  such  as  is 
used  by  burglars.  James  placed  the  ladder 
against  the  front  of  the  house,  mounted  slowly 
to  the  windows,  unfastened  the  blinds  and  said: 

"It  is  done!" 

^*What  do  you  see?"  asked  Robert. 
"  Nothing." 
•*Come  down/* 


l88  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR 

The  Englishman  obeyed,  Robert  took  his 
place,  and  without  any  further  precaution  broke 
a  pane  of  glass — the  pieces  fell  inside  without 
much  noise. 

A  puff  of  carbonic  acid  escaped  through  the 
window. 

Robert  was  obliged  to  turn  to  one  side  to 
get  the  air;  but  at  the  same  moment  he 
turned  the  fastening  of  the  window. 

And  a  moment  after,  he  was  in  the  room. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

Sylvia's  disclosures  were  exact  to  the  fetter. 

Yes,  she  had  followed  Severine  with  the 
Snesse  and  vigilance  of  a  police  spy;  she  had 
seen  her  hide  in  the  hedge;  she  had  informed 
her  mistress,  who  had  made  an  immediate  ex- 
amination of  the  governess*  secretary. 

What  had  there  been  so  alarming  in  the 
letter  which  Mme.  de  Noyal  discovered  among 
the  private  papers  of  the  large  rousse  with  the 
sharp  eyes? 

In  order  to  comprehend  the  document,  it 
must  be  understood,  that  the  wealthy  widow 
had  been  so  imprudent  as  to  confide  the  man- 
agement of  her  fortune  to  this  woman. 

Very  ignorant  of  figures,  a  little  inclined  to 
be  idle,  and  knowing  that  her  late  husband  had 
often  had  recourse,  in  important  affairs,  to  the 
knowledge  of  the  governess,  she  retained  her 
and  made  her  her  steward. 


\gO-  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

When  a  widow  who  has  been  accustomed  to 
live  without  any  care,  is  the  possessor  of  two 
millions,  she  does  not  imagine  that  she  will 
ever  see  the  end  of  them.  Besides,  Angelique 
spent  very  little  in  proportion  to  her  income, 
and  every  time  .that  Mile.  Dahun  made  her 
monthly  statement,  she  contented  herself  with 
saying: 

That  is  all  right !  But  spare  me  the  de- 
tails, if  you  please.  I  am  satisfied  to  know 
that  I  am  still  comfortable." 

She  paid  her  generously  and  made  her  many 
rich  presents.  She  would  not  allow  her  to 
spend  her  own  money  for  a  single  trinket,  and 
had  given  her  permission  to  go  to  her  own 
dress-maker.  She  even  admired  the  reserve 
with  which  Severine  made  use  of  this  liberality. 

So  it  may  be  imagined  from  what  a  height 
she  fell,  when  she  learned  that  the  creature 
had  been  deceiving  her  for  eight  years,  that 
she  had  been  her  husband's  mistress,  and  taken 
advantage  of  his  weakness  and  prodigality, 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  IQ^ 

that  she  had  stolen  all  along  the  line,  and  was 
stealing  still,  and  that,  worst  of  all,  she  was  a 
party  to  the  crime  at  Rose  Villa. 

All  this  she  learned  from  the  following  let- 
ter, signed  "  M.  de  C."  and  dated  the  evening 
before: 

"  Dear  sister, 

"  You  are  very  unreasonable  to  get 
into  your  head  a  project  which  can  not  suc- 
"  ceed  and  which  has  already  cost  so  many  tears 
"  and  so  much  remorse. 

"Admitting  that  the  gentleman  in  question, 
"  who,  in  my  opinion,  is  very  unattractive,  would 
"  be  willing  to  marry  you,  it  would  not  be  long 
"before  he  would  know,  what  everybody,  ex- 
"  cepting  her  knows  already,  thanks  to  the 
"  pratings  of  the  defunct,  who  was  our  goose 
"that  laid  the  golden  eggs.  He  would  learn 
"that  you  owe  a  part  of  your  fortune  to  the 
"  liberality  of  the  husband,  and  that  the  rest 
"comes  from  despoiling  his  widow. 


ig2  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

I  pray  you,  renounce  a  dream  which  can- 
"  not  be  realized.  Settle  your  affairs  and  join 
**  me  as  soon  as  possible  in  London,  whence  we 
**will  go  to  America,  where  we  will  lead  a 

gilded  existence,  beyond  the  reach  of  inquis- 
**  itive  eyes. 

**Sut,  if,  neglecting  my  advice,  you  listen  a 

second  time  the  promptings  of  jealousy,  I 
**will  not  be  there  to  save  you  "from  the  conse- 
''quences.    Before  leaving,  be  sure  to  put  your 

accounts  in  order — look  out  for  the  balance 

sheet !  But  whatever  may  be  your  skill  in  fig- 
"  ures  you  still  lack  practice.  We  must  have  a 
*' session  of  three  or  four  hours  in  order  to  ex- 

amine  all  your  books  and  strengthen  the 
**  weak  places. 

**I  will  be  at  Chatenay  at  two  o'clock  to- 

morrow  night  and  we  will  employ  the  rest  of 
**the  night  in  preparing  a  statement  of  which 
will  only  see  the  ashes. 
"  In  any  event,  she  will  not  have  anything  to 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  I93 

complain  of  as  she  will  still  have  a  good 
**  million. 

*'As  for  me,  I  have  made  my  last  venture  at 
"the  Bourse,  although  it  has  doubled  our 
'wealth.    It  is  ended,  I  shall  never  go  near  it 

*  again.    I  just  escaped,   last   month,  and  I 

*  shall  remember  it  all  my  life. 

"In  short,  I  should  be  the  most  fortunate  of 
'  men  if  that  stupid  Cadornac  had  not  exhibited 
*my  portrait  at  the  last  Salon. 
"  According  to  your  desire,  I  have  ordered 
my  dancer  to  annoy  the  patroness  by  singing 
a  silly  song  to-morrow  at  her  gate ;  but  these 
puerile  means  astonish  me  and  can  lead  to 
nothing.    The  gentleman   never  took  any 
notice  of  you,  even  when  you  were  face  to 
face  with  him.    You  expect  to  dazzle  him 
with  your  fortune ;  but  he  is  rich  himself,  and 
your  money  will  not  tempt  him. 
"Then,  day  after  to-morrow— two  o'clock  in 
the  morning,  precisely.    Be  sure  to  burn  .this 
letter.  -M.  DE  C" 

18 


194  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Angelique  had  no  trouble  to  interpret  these 
initials:  M.  de  C.  was  this  Marquis  de  Chene- 
railles,  of  whom  Severine  was  said  to  be  the  .. 
sister  by  "accident  of  marriage,"  and  whom 
she  had  won  over,  so  she  affirmed,  to  the  cause 
of  her  mistress  at  the  time  of  the  trial. 

She  had  had  the  audacity  to  bring  him  to 
her  and  reproach  her  for  having  received  him 
so  coldly. 

There  was  no  doubt  that  the  Marquis  de 
Chenerailles'  title  was  a  spurious  one,  but  then 
how  did  he  get  this  title  which  nobody  con- 
tested and  under  which  he  had  been  sworn  on 
the  jury  of  the  Seine?  Anything  might  be  sus- 
pected of  such  a  bandit.  He  must  have  stolen 
his  papers  and  parchments  from  the  genuine 
Marquis,  perhaps  murdered  him  to  obtain 
them. 

So  the  Baron  de  Noyal  had  kept  Severine 
Dahun  even  in  the  home  of  his  wife.  How- 
infamous ! 


THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

But  Angelique  cared  very  little  for  that  now. 
She  had  learned  in  a  few  weeks  after  her  mar- 
riage that  the  husband,  who  had  been  forced 
upon  her  by  the  cupidity  of  her  family,  was  a 
nullity.  She  felt  very  little  regret  for  him  al- 
though she  piously  renewed  the  wreaths  on 
his  tomb  at  Montparnasse. 

But  the  first  part  of  the  letter  interested  her 
\nore  than  all  the  rest.  The  deplorable  prefer- 
ences of  the  Baron  were  of  little  importance. 
She  did  not  care  for  the  million  which  had 
been  stolen.  She  only  remembered  the  cruel 
suffering  of  the  Court  of  Assizes,  her  reputa- 
tion ruined  forever  by  an  acquittal,  snatched 
from  the  majority,  thanks  to  the  persuasive 
eloquence  of  M.  de  Chenerailles. 

The  words,  which  have  cost  so  many  tears 
and  so  much  remorse,''  wei'e  a  revelation.  The 
murderer  of  Jeanne  Caristie  must  be  either  the 
sister  or  the  brother ;  for  they  were  surely  of 
the  same  blood,  as  could  be  seen  by  their  tawny 
complexion. 


196  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Why  had  Severine  Dahun  concealed  herself 
behind  the  hedge  in  the  afternoon?  To  learn 
whether  the  man  whom  she  wished  to  win,  at 
any  cost,  was  not  already  bound  to  a  second 
rival  by  a  sacred  promise. 

She  had  heard  all ! 

Angelique  felt  the  cold  sweat  rim  down  her 
face  at  the  thought. 

She  was  incapable  of  making  any  decision. 
She  was  in  need  of  support  and  counsel— of  a 
sincere  friendship  and  a  devotion  without  limit. 
She  would  find  this  devotion  in  that  one  whose 
hesitations  she  did  not  suspect. 

"Robert,"  she  said  to  herself,  "loves  me  well 
enough  not  to  doubt  my  innocence.  The 
world  still  suspects  me,  and  he  braves  the 
world.  He  does  not  hesitate  to  protect  me 
with  his  name  and  acquit  me  a  second  time  by 
taking  me  for  his  wife.  He  is  the  only  one 
who  is  capable  of  protecting  me." 

So,  fearing  by  a  sudden  departure  to  excite 
the  suspicions  of  the  infamous  woman,  the 


THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  I97, 

Baroness  dc  Noyal  had  sent  immediately  for 
her  fiance  for  whom  she  would  wait  at  the 
little  door  of  the  park. 

Before  going  away  Sylvia  had  said  to  her : 

"I  beg  Madame  to  let  James  wait  on  her  at 
table.  Madame  can  have  confidence  in  James, 
James  will  have  an  eye  on  everything  and  Ma- 
dame has  nothing  to  fear." 

The  Baroness  de  Noyal  having  partly  recov- 
ered from  her  emotion,  made  an  effort  to  re- 
move all  traces  of  it  from  her  face.  She  tried 
to  smile  ;  but  this  was  too  much  for  her.  The 
fires  of  spite,  of  indignation  and  of  unsatisfied 
vengeance  burned  in  her  eyes.  Her  mouth 
was  compressed  but  her  lips  trembled  slightly. 

By  a  great  effort,  however,,  she  was  able  to 
appear  almost  the  same  as  usual,  and  when  the 
bell  announced  dinner,  she  descended  to  the 
dining-room  with  a  firm  step. 

Severine  was  already  at  the  table,  her  brow 
contracted  in  a  tragic  frown. 

Angelique  sat  down  opposite  to  hen 


igS  THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

When  women  set  themselves  to  dissembling 
their  thoughts,  they  succeed  better  than  the 
most  accomplished  diplomats. 

**Well!"  said  the  Baroness  to  her  steward, 
**you  look  quite  sad  this  evening.  I  wager 
that  you  have  made  a  mistake  in  your  addition. 
Do  not  let  it  take  away  your  appetite  or  your 
sleep.  If  I  were  in  your  place,  I  should  not 
keep  any  more  accounts.  Why  should  you 
give  yourself  so  much  trouble?  We  receive 
money— that  is  good— we  use  it,  that  is  better 
still,  and  provided  that  the  outgo  does  not  ex- 
ceed the  income,  we  are  certain  of  not  getting 
into  debt  which  is  the  essential  thing.'' 

There  was  so  much  point,  to  this  good-hum- 
ored pleasantry  that  it  seemed  to  disturb 
Severine. 

She  raised  her  eyes  to  her  benefactress  and 
was  reassured.    Angelique  was  laughing. 
James  brought  in  the  soup. 
Where  is  Sylvia?"  asked  the  governess. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  I99 

*'She  has  gone  out.  She  has  my  permission 
until  ten  o'clock/' 

The  footman  had  arrayed  himself  in  full 
dress  to  wait  on  Madame.  He  gravely  placed 
the  soup  tureen  upon  the  table  and  went  out. 

**My  accounts  are  really  a  little  behind,  but 
they  will  be  audited  by  the  day  after  to-mor- 
row," said  Mile.  Dahun. 

Audited  is  a  very  ugly  word,*'  said  Ange- 
lique  mockingly. 

They  both  ate  daintily.-  Great  emotions 
diminish  the  appetite. 

After  the  repast  was  over,  they  withdrew  to 
the  parlors  as  was  usual. 

Angelique  opened  the  piano  and  played  a 
waltz  of  Chopin  mechanically. 

Severine  occupied  herself  in  making  some 
new  handkerchiefs.  What  a  precious  auxiliary 
was  Mile.  Dahun !  She  never  lost  a  minute. 
To  see  her  so  orderly  and  industrious,  one  who 
was  not  thoroughly  acquainted  with  her  past 
would  have  said  she  was  born  to  make  the 


200  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

happiness  of  a  good  husband.  As  for  those 
who  knew  all  about  her,  and  who  said  nothing 
to  the  person  most  interested,  they  only  smiled 

at  her  ways. 

James,  having  no  longer  an  excuse  for  re- 
maining, left  the  two  women  alone  fbr  a  couple^ 
of  hours. 

Angelique  waited  impatiently  for  her  stew- 
ardess to  retire  to  her  room,  whicji  she  usually 
did  at  nine  o'clock.  Tired  of  the  piano,  she 
drew  near  the  table  and  turned  over  the  leaves 
of  a  Fashion  Magazine.  From  time  to  time 
she  examined  stealthily  the  countenance  of 
her  enemy,  which  was  in  no  wise  reassuring. 

Knowing  that  the  Marquis  would  not  come 
to  the  villa  before  two  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
the  Baroness  remained  calm.  But  in  spite  of 
the  charm  of  a  delightful  spring  evening,  she 
did  not  dream  of  walking  in  the  park;  she 
would  have  been  afraid  to  pass  in  front  of  the 
hedge. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  201 

Mile.  Dahun  broke  the  silence  which  was  be- 
coming embarrassing. 

Madame  the  Baroness,"  said  she  brusquely, 
has  made  me  anxious  for  some  time.'' 

"Of  what  Baroness  are  you  speaking?"  asked 
Angelique,  feigning  surprise. 

The  storm  was  rumbling. 

**Why,  of  you,  Madame,  responded  Severe. 

"Then  it  is  I  who  cause  you  anxiety,  my 
good  Severe,  and  why?" 

"Madame  will  blame  me,  perhaps,  for  inter- 
esting myself  in  that  which  does  not  concern 
me?" 

"Certainly  not.  Severe,  everything  here  con- 
cerns you.  I  have  left  the  care  of  my  fortune 
to  you,  and  you  have  been  the  confidant  of  all 
my  troubles.  This  gives  you  the  right  to  speak 
to  me  plainly  concerning  whatever  touches  me 
or  my  interests.  And  to  begin  with,  do  not 
call  me  'Madame  the  Baroness,'  as  big  as 
your  arm.  This  is  the  fiftieth  time  I  have  said 
so." 


202  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

**0h!  Madame,  how  good  you  are,  and  how 
much  I  love  you 

Angelique  turned  away  to  hide  the  flush  of 
indignation  which  mounted  to  her  cheek,  and 
gave  to  her  eyes,  usually  so  mild,  an  almost 
ferocious  expression. 

**Go  on  Severe,  you  are  anxious  about  me.'* 

•*Very.  I  suspect  that  Madame  is  thinking 
of  marrying  again." 

**And  what  then?" 

**I  dread  a  second  marriage  for  Madame.  I 
should  like  to  have  had  Madame  first  prove 
her  innocence  in  the  mysterious  crime  of  this 
accursed  villa.  Oh !  if  I  had  only  been  with 
you  on  that  day  how  much  more  convincing 
my  testimony  would  have  been!  What  a 
fatality!" 

"Oh  yes!  Mademoiselle  Dahun,  what  a 
fatality ! " 

The  governess  looked  at  her,  frightened  by 
the  word  "Mademoiselle"  pronounced  in  a 
threatening  tone. 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  203 

But  the  Baroness  de  Noyal  saw  her  impru- 
dence, and  repaired  it  by  a  burst  of  laughter. 

**0h  !  oh  !  "  said  she,    Severe  does  not  wish 
me  to  marry  again  !    And  why? 

''I  am  going  to  tell  Madame.  The  honey- 
moon once  over— and  Madame  has  paid  dear 
to  learn  that  it  does  not  last  long— it  will  not 
be  long  before  her  husband  perceives  that  the 
world  looks  cross-wise  at  him;  he  will  reflect, 
he  will  doubt,  like  so  many  other  idiots,  and 
then  there  will  be  trouble  in  the  family." 

So  much  impudence  surpassed  in  alTdacity 
anything  that  one  could  possibly  have  ex- 
pected of  the  former  mistress  of  Baron  de 
Noyal. 

Then  you  believe,  Severe,  that  the  world 
still  doubts  my  innocence,  and  that  it  will  make 
Robert  feel  its  contempt? 

At  that  name,  pronounced  with  a  gentle, 
loving  voice,  Severine  let  her  work  fall  upon  her 
knees  and  turned  very  pale. 


204  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

How  she  loved  this  insignificant  gentle- 
man," whom  the  Marquis  de  Chenerailles  found 
so  unattractive ! 

"  Then,"  said  she,    it  is  M.  du  Plessis  that 
Madame  the  Baroness  wishes  to  marry?" 
He  has  no  doubt  of  it— not  he !  " 
Oh  !  if  Madame  the  Baroness  only  knew 
M.  du  Plessis  as  I  know  him  !" 

It  was  now  Angelique's  turn  to  be  jealous. 

What  do  you  mean  by  saying  that?" 
'*He  has  had  a  great   many  adventures," 
said  the  stewardess. 

Every  man  has  before  he  ends  the  series 
by  a  marriage  for  love  or  for  reason  which  does 
not  prevent  him  from  beginning  over  again,  a 
few  years,  if  not  a  few  months  after  the 
wedding." 

Severe  bit  her  lips  and  a  wicked  wrinkle  ap- 
peared between  her  eyebrows. 

*'He  is  a  gambler,"  she  continued,  **an  incur- 
able gambler !  He  has  lost  large  sums  on  the 
Bourse.    He  is  on  the  verge  of  ruin,  and  he 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  20$ 

poses  before  Madame  as  a  disinterested  and 
unprejudiced  person  only  that  he  may  recover 
himself." 

But  how  do  you  know  so  much  about  M. 
du  Plessis,  Severe?" 

"Through  my  brother,  the  Marquis  de  Chen- 
erailles,  who  is  acquainted  with  him  and  knows 
of  his  operations  on  the  Bourse,  and  has  seen 
him  put  up  fabulous  sums  at  the  club." 

This  denunciation  roused  the  spirit  of  the 
Baroness,  and  she  could  not,  in  spite  of  the 
danger  suspended  over  her  head,  dissimulate 
any  longer. 

*'Ah!  well!  Mademoiselle,"  she  cried,  *'you 
may  say  to  the  Marquis  de  Chenerailles,  your 
brother,  perchance,  that  he  will  do  well  in 
future  not  to  interfere  in  my  affairs." 

Severe  pushed  back  her  chair  with  a  sudden 
movement  and,  rising  at  once,  said: 

Madame,  the  Baroness,  did  not  talk  in  this 
way  of  my  brother  when  he  took  the  trouble 
to  defend  her." 


206  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

''Be  silent!^' 

The  two  women  measured  one  another  with 
a  look. 

At  this  moment  the  door  opened,  and  James 
entered,  bringing  the  evening  paper. 

The  intendant  retired  slowly  without  looking 
around. 

The  disagreement  was  complete,  but  Severe 
could  not,  in  the  opinion  of  the  Baroness,  sus- 
pect the  true  cause. 

*' James,"  she  said,  ''tell  the  cook  to  bring  a 
cup  of  tea  to  my  room  at  once." 

"Yes,  Madame." 

Angelique  was  suffocating.  She  went  up 
to  her  room.  It  was  half  past  nine  o'clock. 
She  would  come  down  in  a  little  while  and  hide 
herself  in  a  cluster  of  trees  near  the  small 
door. 

For  the  first  time  since  the  iniquitous  trial, 
Angelique  tried  to  pray. 

*'My  God,"  said  she,  ''make  Sylvia  find  my 
dear  Robert.    My  God,  protect  me/* 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  207 

The  cook  did  not  take  her  the  tea  until  more 
than  a  quarter  of  an  hour  had  passed. 

"You  have  been  a  long  time/'  said  she  gently. 

"Excuse  me,  Madame;  but  I  did  not  have 
any  tea,  and  I  went  to  Mademoiselle  for 
some  and  she  was  arranging  her  papers  and 
made  me  wait  five  minutes." 

A  great  fear  came  over  the  Baroness:  what 
if  Severe  should  discover  that  some  one  had 
been  fumbling  in  her  desk !  that  some  one  had 
read  M.  de  Chenerailles'  letter  ! 

Her  throat  burned  with  thirst.  She  poured 
out  a  cup  of  tea  and  drank  it  all  at  one  draught, 
without  any  sugar.  It  left  a  bitter  taste  in  her 
mouth.  " 

"What  bad  tea  that  is!"  she  muttered. 
Suddenly  a  terrible  thought  caused  her  to 
utter  a  cry  of  distress.  She  turned  out  the  tea 
remaining  in-the  cup,  examined  it  and  smelt  it. 

"  What  if  it  were  poison  !  What  if  Jeanne 
Caristie's  murderer  has  not  recoiled  at  a  second 
crime!" 


208  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

And  the  Baroness  thought  that  such  a  crime 
would  again  remain  unpunished.  The  world 
which  believed  her  guilty,  would  not  hesitate  to 
conclude  that  remorse  had  caused  her  to  com- 
mit suicide. 

She  looked  at  herself  in  the  glass.  She 
was  frightened  at  her  pallor.  An  invincible 
stupor  overcame  her. 

She  put  her  hand  to  her  head  from  which  all 
thought  was  going  away. 

She  took  three  steps  towards  the  bell,  ex- 
tended her  hands,  called  for  help  in  a  stifled 
voice  and  fell  in  the  middle  of  the  room  on  the 
thick  carpet  which  deadened  her  fall. 

She  felt  no  pain,  but  she  was  still  conscious, 
for  a  few  seconds,  when  all  her  faculties  were 
extinguished. 

It  is  ended !  The  Baroness  de  Noyal  was 
overwhelmed  in  a  cataleptic  sleep. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

When  she  awoke,  she  was  lying  on  her  bed, 
and  Robert  was  sitting  beside  her  with  a  smile 
of  infinite  tenderness  on  his  face. 

*Ms  it  you  Robert?'' 

*'Oh!  How  could  you  be  willing  to  die  with- 
out me 

Parisian  life  had  not  yet  destroyed  the  nat- 
ural sensibility  of  Robert  du  Plessis.  There 
were  tears  in  his  eyes  as  he  assisted  in  the  re- 
suscitation of  the  beautiful  widow. 

Angelique  held  out  her  hands  to  him.  He 
took  them  and  bent  over  her  until  his  lips 
almost  touched  hers. 

"Oh!  What  madness!"  he  exclaimed. 
"Why  do  you  despair  of  happiness?  So  you 
wished  to  die  rather  than  keep  your  promise 
tome?'' 

^*To  die?"  said  she  trying  to  understand. 

14 


210  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

Yes— and  such  a  death!  the  most  frightful 
of  all:  asphyxiation  by  charcoal.  How  you 
must  have  suffered,  my  poor  dear,  before  you 
lost  consciousness!'* 

Suffered?  No,  I  did  not  suffer  at  all.  I 
slept  that  was  all.  Stop!  I  dreamed  of  you 
and  of  myself.  I  dreamed  we  were  receiving 
the  nuptial  benediction  at  Venice.  There  were 
beautiful  young  girls  and  handsome  young 
men,  in  shining  garments,  who  looked  at  us 
with  envy." 

This  was  too  much  for  him.  He  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  situation  and  embraced  her  long 
and  fervently,  but  she  did  not  protest. 

"Angelique!'' 

"Robert!" 

**I  love  you." 

But  now  memory  returned  to  the  lovely 
sleeper,  and  all  the  drama  of  the  evening  rose 
before  her  with  surprising  clearness. 

She  sat  up. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  211 

**No,  Robert,  I  did  not  wish  to  die.  That 
would  have  been  cowardly  after  your  oath,  in 
which  I  have  faith.  Some  one  has  tried  to  kill 
me  and  gave  me  a  narcotic,  wait !  it  was  in  the 
tea.  I  had  just  drank  it  when  I  felt  a  weight 
on  my  brain,  on  my  heart.  My  limbs  gave 
way  under  me,  I  tried  to  ring,  I  called  for  help, 
and  then  I  fell  in  the  middle  of  the  room.  I 
knew  nothing  after  that.  How  did  you  get- 
here?" 

**  Through  the  window." 

*'What?" 

"Yes,  through  the  window.  Sylvia  had  been 
up  and  knocked  at  your  door,  and  you  had  not 
answered.  The  key-hole  was  stopped.  There 
was  an  odor  of  carbonic-acid  from  under  your 
door.  The  poor  girl  came  to  tell  me  and  James 
brought  me  a  ladder." 

The  Baroness  rose  from  the  bed.  An  invin-. 
cible  terror  took  possession  of  her. 

"I  understand,"  said  she.  "Let  us  flee, 
Robert.    He  would  kill  both  of  us!" 


2T2  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

''Who  then?" 

**The  Marquis  de  Chenerailles." 
*'He!"  cried  Robert. 

He  ran  to  the  window  which  was  still  wide 
open. 

*' James,"  said  he,  "have  you  any  weapon?" 
have  my  gun,  monsieur,''  replied  the  En- 
glishmen;  ''and  I  have  my  fists." 

"Get  your  gun  and  wait  for  orders." 

Then  he  went  to  the  door  and  listened. 

"There  is  nothing  there,"  he  said. 

Returning  to  Angelique,  he  gave  her  a  paper 
which  he  had  just  taken  from  a  stand. 

"Did  you  write  that  Angelique?" 

"  I  have  written  nothing,"  said  she. 

"Read  that  paper." 

It  ran  as  follows: 

"Let  no  one  be  accused  of  my  death!  I 
"murdered  my  cousin  Jeanne  Caristie.  Ac- 
"  quitted  through  the  mistake  of  the  jury,  I 
"condemn  myself. 

Angelique  Rabutin,  the  widow  Noyal." 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  21 3 

''Oh!  the  infamous  wretches/'  cried  Ange- 
lique.  *' What  an  infernal  plot !  They  put  me 
to  sleep  first,  then  they  lighted  the  charcoal 
and  stopped  all  the  passages  for  the  air ;  and 
last  they  wrote  this  note  in  imitation  of  my 
writing." 

Robert  showed  her  the  chafing-dish  in  which 
coal  was  still  burning  in  the  fire-place  beside  a 
pile  of  wet  rags. 

**Those  rags  were  stuffed  up  the  chimney 
and  closed  it  tightly  when  I  got  into  the  room. 
The  coal  was  three-fourths  consumed.  How 
you  escaped  death  is  a  mystery  to  me.  I  can 
anly  explain  it  by  your  cataleptic  condition. 
The  assassin  who  prepared  the  narcotic  gave 
too  large  a  dose  through  ignorance.  It  pro- 
duced syncope.  You  did  not  breathe  and  that 
saved  you." 

Angelique  looked  at  the  clock.  It  was  half 
past  twelve. 

"There  is  nothing  to  fear  yet  He  will  not 
come  until  two  o'clock  in  the  morning.'' 


214  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

She  told  Robert  all  that  had  happened  since 
Sylvia's  providential  disclosures.  The  letter 
had  made  so  strong  an  impression  that  she 
could  repeat  almost  every  word. 

**What  an  idiot  that  Noyalwas!"  thought 
Robert. 

She  reported  exactly  the  conversation  with 
Mile.  Dahun  after  dinner,  and  the  denunciation 
of  which  he  had  been  the  object. 

"Ah  well,  yes,  I  have  gambled  on  the  Bourse 
and  at  the  club,"  confessed  Robert,  "but  I 
have  my  excuse.  When  a  man  is  rich  and  not 
happy  he  kills  time  by  ruining  himself.  This 
is  done  every  day  to  the  joy  of  the  lookers  on. 
But  now  that  you  love  me,  Angelique,  and  are 
going  to  be  my  wife,  I  solemnly  swear,  not 
that  I  will  never  play  any  more,  that  would  be 
i?oo  hard,  but  never  to  play  high." 

Robert  knew  everything  now. 

"Ah!"  said  he,  "the  Marquis  de  Cheneraillcs 
will  be  here  at  two  o'clock.  He  shall  be  well 
receive^.    But  this  woman  who  pretends  to 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  21 5 

love  me,  will  probably  go  out  soon  to  meet  her 
brother  in  the  park.  And  James  will  be  in 
front  of  the  door  with  his  gun;  and  brave 
Sylvia  who  sustains  James  by  her  presence." 

Perceiving  that  Angelique  was  looking  at 
the  door  in  terror— he  continued: 

"You  do  not  wish  to  stay  here  alone,  and  I 
understand  that.  We  are  going  to  take  our 
precautions." 

He  assured  himself  that  the  door  was  se-  * 

curely  locked* 

Where  is  the  key?"  he  asked. 

**When  I  came  in  it  was  on  the  inside.  It 
has  been  taken  away." 

•'No,"  said  a  guttural  voice,    it  was  thrown 
out  of  the  window.    I  have  it." 

And  James  handed  the  key  to  M.  du  Plessis. 

"Listen,  James." 

**  Yes,  monsieur." 

"  Have  you  only  one  gun?" 

"Yes,  monsieur,  but  if  monsieur  would  like 
a  revolver,  here  it  is," 


2l6  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

And  he  drew  from  his  pocket  a  superb  six- 
shooter  which  Robert  took  immediately. 
**The  six  balls  are  all  here  are  they?'' 
*'Oui,  monsieur/' 

**Tell  Sylvia  to  keep  well  out  of  sight.  You 
post  yourself  in  the  little  chalet  which  com- 
mands the  wall  toward  the  country.  I  will 
conceal  myself  behind  the  hedge.  You  will 
soon  see  Mile.  Dahun  pass  you  and  go  to  the 
small  door  where  she  will  wait  for  some  one. 
Do  not  stir,  but  when  she  returns  with  this  per- 
son, you  will  come  up  behind  them  and  tak^ 
aim.  I  will  do  the  same  in  front.  When  you 
hear  me  say:  ^surrender!*  you  will  cry:  *halt 
there  ! '  They  will  be  between  two  fires  and 
they  will  surrender,  We  will  lock  them  up  in 
a  secure  place,  and  you  will  go  for  the  com- 
missaire." 

"Of  course,  monsieur." 

James  disappeared  from  the  window  like  a 
hero  of  pantomime. 


THE    MYSTERIOUS   JUROR,  217 

In  spite  of  these  precautions,  Angelique 
could  not  decide  to  confront  solitude  in  her 
room,  and  Robert  was  obliged  to  help  her  de- 
scend the  ladder,  which  she  did  with  wonder- 
ful agility.  Robert  put  out  the  lights,  reclosed 
the  blinds  and,  revolver  in  hand,  hastened 
toward  the  hedge,  followed  by  the  Baroness. 

Sylvia,  finding  that  Madame  intended  to 
share  her  lover's  danger,  clung  close  to  James, 
who  was  easily  persuaded  to  take  her  with  him 
to  the  chalet. 

All  was  once  more  silent  and  calm.  It  was 
marvelous  that  Severine  had  heard  nothing — 
no  doubt  she  was  absorbed  in  her  accounts. 

The  trap  was  set;  would  the  game  permit 
itself  to  be  taken?  In  an  hour  they  would 
know.  It  was  not  without  fear  that  Mme.  de 
Noyal  crouched  beside  her  lover,  in  the 
very  place  where  the  murderer  of  Jeanne 
Caristie  had  concealed  himself.  She  pressed 
close  to  Robert,  and  said  in  a  trembling  voice: 


2l8  THE    MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

**I  am  afraid!  This  man  is  a  desperate 
ruffian." 

Villains  always  surrender  when  they  can 
not  defend  themselves." 

At  half  past  one,  they  heard  the  gravel  of 
the  park  crackle  under  the  feet  of  some  one 
coming  from  the  house. 

Thanks  to  the  moonlight,  they  distinguished 
Severine  walking  on  the  tips  of  her  toes. 

She  was  deathly  pale.  She  stopped  a  mo- 
ment as  she  was  passing  the  hedge  and  they 
heard  her  utter  an  **Ah!"  which  made  them 
fear  that  they  had  been  discovered, 

A  heart-breaking  sob  followed  the  sigh  and 
the  sister  of  the  Marquis  de  Chenerailles  slowly 
withdrew,  like  Lady  Macbeth  wandering  in  the 
midnight  through  her  domain. 

The  hour  was  approaching. 

Robert  explained  to  Angelique  the  necessity 
of  going  a  short  distance  away  from  her.  He 
advanced  with  his  back  bent  under  the  trees 


THE   MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  2ig 

and  reached  a  turning  where  he  could  see  the 
scoundrels  as  they  approached. 

The  Marquis  was  prompt  to  the  minute.  At 
five  minutes  past  two  he  was  with  his  sister  in 
the  main  path  of  the  park.  The  moment  to 
act  had  come. 

James,  faithful  to  his  orders,  was  just  coming 
down  from  the  chalet — with  great  long  strides 
he  came  up  behind. 

Robert  stepped  from  his  hiding-place.  He 
was  not  more  than  twenty  steps  from  the 
Marquis. 

''Surrender!"  he  cried,  pointing  the  weapon 
at  him. 

*'Halt!"  said  James  in  a  voice  of  thunder. 

The  Marquis  turned  toward  the  Englishman, 
He  did  not  hesitate  to  defend  his  life  at  all 
hazards.  The  bandit  had  a  loaded  revolver 
in  his  pocket. 

"I  surrender,"  said  he,  advancing  rapidly 
towards  James. 

''Halt!"  repeated  the  latter. 


220  THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

The  Marquis  made  a  bound  to  one  side  and 
fired  right  and  left  six  shots  from  the  revolver. 
Robert  was  not  touched,  but  James,  who  was 
slightly  grazed  on  the  left  shoulder  by  one  of 
the  balls,  uttered  a  sharp  cry  of  pain. 

There  was  the  sound  of  another  shot  and  the 
Marquis  fell  to  the  ground. 

Two  women  rushed  forward,  the 'Baroness 
trembling  for  Robert,  and  Sylvia  for  James. 

At  the  sight  of  her  brother  extended  on  the 
ground  with  his  head  shattered,  Severe  fainted. 

"I  am  hurt,"  said  James,  ^^but  that  scoundrel 
got  his  pay." 

They  carried  the  stewardess  into  the  carriage- 
house  and  locked  the  door.  As  had  been  ar- 
ranged, James,  without  stopping  to  have  his 
wounds  dressed,  ran  for  the  commissary  of 
police. 

That  magistrate  arrived  at  five  o'clock  in  the 
morning,  with  his  secretary,  two  inspectors 
and  a  physician. 


THE  MYSTERIOUS   JUROR.  221 

He  verified  the  de^th  of  the  Marquis  and 
gave  Severine,  who  had  revived,  into  the  hands 
of  his  agents. 

After  writing  out  a  long  statement  of  the 
facts  as  they  were  reported  to  him  by  the  actors 
in  the  drama,  he  searched  the  corpse. 

TheMarquis  was  the  bearer  of  a  letter,  which 
he  had  received  the  evening  before,  and  which 
was  sufficient  to  establish  his  identity.  It 
came  from  a  dangerous  criminal,  named  Ren- 
ard,  who,  having  taken  it  . into  his  head  to  visit 
the  Exposition  of  Paintings  one  Sunday,  had 
recognized,  in  the  portrait  signed  Cadornac, 
his  friend  Dahun,  an  old  companion,  who,  like 
himself,  had  escaped  from  Noumea. 

All  the  accounts  and  private  papers  which 
were  found  in  the  governess'  secretary  were 
seized  and  among  them  was  the  letter  signed 
**M.  de  C.,'' which  had  been  instrumental  in 
clearing  up  the  mystery  of  Rose  Villa. 

Severe  Dahun  was  subjected  to  a  preliminary 


222  THE  MYSTERIOUS  JUROR. 

examination,  but  she  only  gave  incoherent  re- 
sponses. 

As  the  commissaire  was  about  to  take  her 
away,  she  asked  permission  to  go  into  her 
room  to  get  her  cloak.  The  magistrate  con- 
sented, hoping  to  surprise  her  in  the  act  of  try- 
ing to  abstract  some  compromising  papers. 
With  a  rapid  movement  Severe  seized  a  bottle 
from  the  cupboard  where  she  was  searching, 
opened  it,  and  put  it  to  her  mouth. 

The  officers  threw  themselves  upon  her. 
They  were  too  late. 

"I  have  not  two  minutes  to  live,"  she  said  to 
them,  but  I  have  escaped  the  scaffold,  and 
that  is  all  I  want.  It  is  I  who  killed  Jeanne 
Caristie.  It  is  I  who  have  just  tried  to  poison 
the  Baroness  de  Noyal." 

*^I  pardon  you/'  murmured  the  Baroness, 
frozen  with  terror  by  this  frightful  scene. 

Her  brother,  the  Marquis,  had  already  died 
in  horrible  convulsions. 


THE   MYSTERIOUS  JUROR.  223 

) 

They  were  neither  judged  nor  condemned. 
What  good  would  it  have  done?  The  Baroness 
did  not  even  reclaim  what  they  had  stolen  from 
her. 

The  examination  was  made  without  any 
noise,  but  it  was  a  serious  one;  more  serious 
than  certain  verdicts  returned  by  twelve  jurors. 

It  was  public  opinion,  that  is  the  entire  press, 
which  proclaimed  the  innocence  of  Angelique, 
and  this  absolution  was  worth  a  great  deal 
more  than  a  decree  of  acquittal. 

Instead  of  going  to  Venice  to  be  married 
under  the  vaults  of  Saint  Mark,  she  married  at 
the  Madeleine,  in  presence  of  all  Paris,  Robert, 
who  regrets  nothing  and  is  the  happiest  of  men. 


THE  END. 


1 


